Marked
by LyricalKris
Summary: Everyone is born with a unique tattoo. Whenever they fall in love, no matter the circumstances, that person's tattoo appears somewhere on their body. It's not such an easy thing to wear your heart on your skin. After all, love comes as she pleases. Unrequited. Uninvited. Undeniable.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So these will be a series of vignettes, mostly because the idea intrigued me. I wanted to spend a little time toying with this world. I'd like to make it clear this wasn't my idea. It was originally posted on Tumblr by someone named spookymileskane and was passed on to me as a prompt for my Tidbits series. I couldn't stop thinking about various situations, so let's see how this goes. The original tidbit, if you want to know where we're headed, is chapter 64.**

* * *

 **Bella - Age five**

Bella did not like her tattoo.

Everyone had them. Some of them were very pretty. Gianna Gage's looked like a flower. Eric Yorkie had two diamonds. She would have liked that very much.

Bella supposed her tattoo was pretty enough. It was a vine. The trouble was, it was a very big vine that curled all the way up the inside of her leg. She hadn't thought much of it until she went to school. It was still hot in August. She wore shorts, so everyone could see it, and all the kids made fun. No one had one as big as hers, and it wasn't fair.

She hated her tattoo.

On the playground, she ran away before the girl who had been teasing her could see her crying. She always cried when she was very angry.

"Ah, it's okay."

Bella yelped as a boy from the other kindergarten class hopped down from where he had been up in a tree. He landed beside her and flashed her a big grin. "Katie's kind of mean," he said. "She doesn't like my tattoo either. She says it's too scary. She's just a big fraidy-cat." He turned his leg so she could see his tattoo.

"Oh. It looks like a doggy," she said, delighted.

"My dad says it looks like a wolf howling at the moon. A-woooo." The boy giggled. "So you don't think it's creepy?"

Bella shook her head.

The boy nodded. "My sister said that, when I'm older, girls will think it's very manly."

Bella shrugged. She really didn't know what that meant.

"I'm Jacob, by the way," he said, smiling at her again. "And I think it's cool that your tattoo is so big. I think it looks like it's climbing up your leg."

Bella sniffled, feeling loads better. "My name's Bella."

 **Edward - Age Fifteen**

Edward used to hate his tattoo. When he was young, in grade school, all the kids were jealous. They all thought his tattoo was the coolest thing—a flicker of flame. The girls thought it was beautiful—almost mystical. The boys thought it was wicked-cool.

One boy, Mike Newton, had liked to touch the backs of his legs—for the flame tattoo licked all the way up from his ankle to the back of his knee. Edward thought that kid was kind of creepy.

"Hey, maybe we'll fall in love one day. Then I'll have a flame tattoo too," Mike had said, his eyes all dreamy.

Edward thought he was really, really creepy.

But now, he was revising his opinion. Not on Mike Newton; the kid was still creepy. Tattoos, though. He couldn't really stop thinking about them. It was hard not to, really

Some of their classmates had begun sporting others' tattoos. It was all anyone could talk about. More than that, the _lack_ of a tattoo had become an issue for some couples. Just the other week, Edward had witnessed a hilarious fight between his older brother Emmett and his girlfriend, Heidi. It seemed that despite all the _things_ they did together, Emmett had yet to find her tattoo anywhere on his body.

Really, that had been the funniest part of the argument. Because how could Heidi have known for sure that Emmett didn't have her tattoo somewhere...private? Edward had stored that information away for blackmail use.

It had been kind of sad, though. Heidi had Emmett's tattoo on her arm. That was something she'd screamed at him. She would have to see his mark on her for the rest of her life. That sucked pretty hard.

Anyway, whenever Edward saw Tanya Ivanova talking with a guy, he always wondered if she had his tattoo on her. The thought made him kind of angry. Emmett said he should grow a pair and just talk to her, for fuck's sake. But what did he have to talk about with one of the most popular girls in school?

"Hey, genius. It's not exactly like you're the school pariah," Emmett said, rolling his eyes.

Sure, Edward was popular in his own right, but Tanya…

She had a dragon tattoo. A dragon tattoo would look badass with his flame. Like it was meant to be or something.

Well, maybe someday.

* * *

 **A/N: What's my motto? Don't assume.**

 **My thanks to Songster, Packy, and Mina for looking this one over. Since these are vignettes, I'm hoping to update frequently, but we'll see. I know I haven't been as good as I used to be with juggling so many projects.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm going to promise up front that we won't see but a few glimpses of the Tanya/Edward romance. I think Edward and Bella will meet in chapter 4 or 5, but I'll let you know if that changes. There are just a few things you need to know about them both.**

* * *

 **Bella - Age 7**

Mommy was crying. Mommy was crying and Peter wasn't there. Peter was Mommy's boyfriend. Peter was nice. Bella liked Peter. He was over at their house a lot of days, but not today. He was better at helping Mommy when she cried.

Bella picked up her favorite teddy bear and went to the kitchen where Mommy was sitting. Mommy had her arm stretched out on the table. She was stroking something on the side of her thumb. Bella climbed up onto the chair beside her and took Mommy's hand, looking.

"Oh. Peter's tattoo," she said, tracing the three circle pattern now etched onto Mommy's skin.

"Yeah," Mommy said, her voice shaky. "How about that." She tried to smile, but she was still crying.

"You love Peter?" Bella thought this was supposed to be a happy thing, a good thing.

"I guess I really do." Mommy put both hands over her face and sobbed.

Bella was confused. "Mommy. Don't cry, Mommy. Does Peter love you?"

"He does," Mommy moaned.

"Mommy, I don't understand."

Mommy pulled herself together and pulled Bella onto her lap. "Peter isn't going to come over anymore, baby."

Bella gasped. "But why?"

Mommy smoothed her hair back. "Honey, there's something you have to understand. Just because you love someone, it doesn't mean you should be together. In fact, sometimes it means you're getting too attached."

"But...why?" Her lower lip began to tremble.

"Love isn't all you need. It's not magic, baby. It's just emotion." She sniffed, and for a moment, she sounded angry. "It makes it so you can't think clearly, is what it does. You do things that don't make any sense."

Mommy hesitated a moment before she pulled her sleeve up. "You see this?" she pointed to a tattoo on her upper shoulder. Bella reached forward to touch it. "You don't remember him. Felix. He was around when you were a very little baby. I loved him, and he loved me. I know he did, because he had my tattoo." She tightened her hold on Bella, squeezing her. "But loving me didn't stop him from hitting me. You know hitting is bad."

"Did Peter hit you?" Bella asked, horrified.

"No, little love. No. Peter is a wonderful, wonderful man. What I'm trying to say is, love doesn't change some things. Like me. I'm not a good long-term match." She pursed her lips, looking at her young daughter's perplexed face. "I mean, I'm not a good girlfriend, sweetheart. And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you're honest. Peter knew that about me. We didn't mean to fall in love." Her voice cracked, and Bella hugged her again.

Mommy picked her up and carried her to the living room so they could get a good cuddle. For reasons Bella didn't understand, she felt clingy and scared. It felt better when she could wrap herself around Mommy and just hold on. She didn't really know why she was crying. Maybe it was better that they cried together.

They rocked for a little while, until there were no more tears. Mommy kissed her forehead. "But you know what, baby? The tattoos—they only measure in-love, love. That's the most fickle kind. If life were fair, I would have a vine right here." She pressed a hand to her chest. "Right at my heart, you know why?"

"Why?"

Mommy kissed her nose. "Because you are the love of my life. You're the one thing I could never give up, that I'll never get tired of. I love you so much, Bella."

"I love you, too, Mommy."

 **Edward - Age 17**

Edward didn't know when it happened.

He and Tanya had somehow ended up in the same group of friends at the end of junior year. They spent the summer going over to the same houses, seeing the same movies. They were friends, then good friends, then Edward kissed her, and she was his.

He liked her. Like, he really, really liked her. He gave her all his firsts. He liked the things she did to him with her hands and her mouth. But he also liked hanging out with her. Or just...being with her.

Last night, they'd laid together on his bed, talking, then kissing, then just cuddling. They were nose to nose, and he was thinking things he was too embarrassed to say out loud—like how her eyes were so blue and that made him so happy. She looked sleepy and happy. He liked the way she smiled.

He just really, really liked her.

The next day, he was roughhousing with his brother. Emmett had him pinned. He was about to let him up, but then he pushed him back down again. "Oooooooh, what's this? Whose is this?"

"Whose is what? Emmett, let me up."

Emmett got up, pulling Edward with him. He'd yanked his shirt halfway up his back. Edward tried to twist out of his hold, but his brother was bigger and stronger. "What's this?" he asked, poking Edward in the back.

"What's what? Cut it out."

"You have a tattoo here."

Edward froze. "What?"

"You heard me."

Finally, Emmett let go enough that Edward could wrench himself out of his hold. He twisted, trying to see the spot Emmett had been poking. His brother was laughing. "Oooh, who's the lucky boy?"

"Shut up," Edward muttered, blushing furiously. He still couldn't see it.

"It kind of looks like a dragon. That's pretty bad ass."

Despite his embarrassment, Edward couldn't stop his broad grin.

He was in love.

 _ **~0~**_

Of course, Edward remembered Emmett's girlfriend Heidi from years before. He remembered that she wore his tattoo—would wear it forever—and Emmett just didn't feel the same way about her.

He'd asked his brother about it once. Emmett said he felt like a dick. He liked Heidi; he really did. He'd certainly never set out to hurt her. They had a lot of fun.

"I tried to force it, you know?" Emmett had admitted to him once. "I sat there and tried to make myself feel...more." He shrugged. "I just didn't."

So Edward was nervous. He'd stared at Tanya's tattoo on his body for hours the night before, looking at it in the bathroom mirror. It was thrilling to see her mark on his body. That's exactly what he felt: thrilled. Like he was on a roller coaster and his stomach was churning and he was scared but elated and… Yeah. Thrilled. In love.

He didn't realize until just then how much he wanted to see his mark on Tanya's body. If she didn't have it, what would it mean? How could he ask her? He was sure she hadn't been in love with him before. He'd had access to her body—all of her body—and he wouldn't have missed it. If she didn't have it now, did that mean she never would? Would it change things if she knew he had it, and she didn't?

Seeing her after that was weird. He was jumpy. Maybe it was his imagination, but Tanya seemed weird too. Distant.

Did she know, somehow? Could she tell?

In the end, Edward couldn't stand the tension. "I have to… I need to show you something," he blurted, apropos of nothing.

"Okay," she said. They were in his room. She was sitting in his desk chair.

He got up and walked to her. His heart was pounding out of control. He looked at her one last time—just in case he wouldn't get to look at her like this again—and then he turned around. He took off his shirt.

She gasped. "Oh, Edward," she said.

He didn't know how to read that. She put a hand to where the tattoo was and stroked it. He felt exposed, his cheeks burning the longer she said nothing else. He pulled away and turned around, his arms crossed over his chest.

Her eyes were shining. She turned to the side. His heart sunk, but before he could panic, he thought he saw something as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Can you see it?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said wondrously.

It was his tattoo—a small replica of it just behind her ear.

She turned back to him. They both beamed.

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 **A/N: Still with me, kids? That's seriously as Edward/Tanya as this story is going to get.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I think I missed answering a few questions last update. If you're still confused about something, let me know. I'm sorry. When I get them when I'm in class or in a meeting or something, I occasionally forget to answer when I get back to a stationary spot.**

* * *

 **Bella - Age 17**

"Fuck."

Bella's heart twisted as she watched her best friend. He held one hand with the other and was rubbing, rubbing, rubbing at the tattoo that had appeared there overnight. The thing took up the whole backside of his left hand.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he chanted, his voice cracking at the end.

Unable to take it, Bella grasped his right wrist, topping the frantic motion. "Jakey, stop. You know it's not coming off."

He bent over, stooped in misery. He tangled his hands in his long black hair and started to rock. His breath hitched as though he were trying not to cry. Bella rubbed his back. "Maybe makeup will work."

"It won't," Jacob said with a moan. "There's no way everyone would miss that. And it rubs off. I'd have to cake it on like ten times a day, and if my dad found out I was using makeup on top of the fact I have Paul's tattoo..." He shuddered, groaned, and slumped so low, his head was almost between his knees.

Bella searched for something to say, but it was an impossible situation. She was pissed off at the world and at Jacob's father and Paul. She really had the urge to beat the hell out of Paul.

Here was the thing. Bella had known for a couple of years now that Jacob was gay. It was a fact he kept to himself. They lived in a small town not known for its tolerance of that kind of thing. Jacob had been terrified for a long time, knowing his father wasn't going to take the news very well. He tentatively planned to come out to his father toward the end of college, so he could get an education before he was tossed out on his ass.

Then, there was Paul. Jacob would say that he and Paul had a complicated relationship. Bella had never thought it was that complicated. Paul was a dick, plain and simple. All this school year, whenever he and Jacob were alone, he'd touch him and kiss him. Every single time, he ended up pushing Jacob away, saying something like, "What are you a fag? Cut it out," or simply pretended it hadn't happened.

About a month ago, Paul had coaxed Jacob into his bed. Again, every time, as soon as they were done, he told Jacob to get the hell away from him. "I ain't gay, prick."

Bella bumped Jacob's shoulder with hers and tried for a joke. "You have really bad taste in men, you know that?"

He snorted and sniffed. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Bella picked up his palm—when had his hands gotten so big—and examined the shape. "This sucks. The placement, I mean." So many tattoos were discreet or in places no one could see. Then again, Jacob was fond of being without his shirt as much as possible. That left a large area of skin exposed regardless. The odds were against him having a tattoo anywhere someone couldn't see.

"Paul is going to kill me. He'll get Jared and Sam to help," Jacob muttered. "And then Dad will kick my beat up carcass out of the house."

"Then you'll come live with me."

"Yeah, I'm sure your mother and Phil would love that. Besides, it's not like you have room for me."

"Jake, no one has room for you." Bella bumped his side again. "Maybe your dad will surprise you."

"Right," Jake muttered.

After a few moment's silence, Bella rested her head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand. "You know what I wish?"

"What?"

"I wish these stupid ass tattoos weren't about like...in love, love. I think that's too easy, you know? And if we have to wear the marks of the people we've loved on our bodies, I wish it could be a better kind of love. I'd like my mother and father." She squeezed his hand. "And you."

He sighed. "Yeah, Bells. I could get behind that. I'd wear your tattoo proudly."

"You know I'll love you forever, right?" Bella asked. "No matter what."

"Yeah. Me too."

 **Edward - Age 27**

Edward had to take a deep breath before he got out of the car. As much as he loved his family, he was dreading having to answer their questions. He sighed, looking over to where his brother's car sat parked. Double trouble. Emmett might not notice, but his wife, Rosalie, certainly would say something. She always did.

Not for the first time, Edward felt a rush of resentment toward his wife. Immediately, he admonished himself. It wasn't like Tanya was off fucking around. She was working.

She was always working.

Most days, it seemed overdone. It was impossible that a person couldn't take some days off. If she worked every damn Saturday, she could miss one every now and again, couldn't she? They weren't destitute. She wasn't working the hours because they were struggling to put food on the table. At this point, her company bent over backward to keep her happy. Surely one Saturday a month—hell, he'd take every other month—wasn't a lot to ask. She didn't _need_ to be there every minute. That was what underlings were for.

Edward did his best to shake all that, and his automatic defensiveness, off before he turned the knob, letting himself into his childhood home. "Hey, it's me," he called.

Instantly, there was a racket of shouting voices and running feet. His four-year-old niece, Vera, was in the lead, followed closely by his three-year-old nephew, Henry. "Uncle, Uncle, Uncle," they chanted, both flinging themselves at him.

"Kiddos!" He swung them around so they giggled.

By the time he set them back down, his mother had appeared in the foyer. "Edward." She kissed his cheek. Her eyes flicked quickly out the open door behind him. "No Tanya today?"

Already it started. Edward did his best to put on a chipper smile. "Huge system crash at work. The whole place would crumble in flames if it wasn't for her."

"Apparently. Their system crashes every other week. One would think they'd upgrade it," Esme said, not unkindly. She rubbed his back. "Well, more steak for us. Come on back."

It took an hour or so, but Edward let his guard down. Emmett was too eager for a game of basketball to care much about where Tanya was, and Rosalie, pity for her, had called in sick.

"Sick, sick or sick pregnant?" Edward asked, glad he could kid his brother for once.

"Dude. Dude." Emmett gave an exaggerated shudder. "Low blow, man. Too soon."

To his everlasting surprise, it was his father who sprang the trap Edward had been waiting for. He had always expected it would be his mother.

He and Tanya had married when they were eighteen, over Esme's vehement protest. Edward called her a hypocrite. She had married Carlisle when he was eighteen and she was twenty.

"I know," Esme had said. "I know what it sounds like to you. But honey, I'm speaking from experience. Oh, this is hard to explain.

"It's not to say that young love can't work. It can. Obviously, it can. It's just that no one remains who they were when they were eighteen."

"Yeah, Mom, but you work to change together. Keep paddling in the same direction. Together," Edward had argued. "I know how a strong marriage works. I had a great example."

She'd sighed. "I appreciate that, sweetheart. I do, and I'm glad of it. It's just that you don't know the whole story. It was before you were born. Your father and I grew apart."

That had stunned him. "What?"

"We split up." Her expression was forlorn. "It was inevitable, really. His parents paid to keep him in school. He was growing, learning, discovering new things about the world and himself. I was working all sorts of crazy hours trying to earn enough to go to college myself, and then we had Emmett. I resented him. He wasn't the man I'd fallen in love with." She tapped his father's tattoo on her wrist. "I thought, when this appeared, that it was a promise. It's not. It only means I fell in love with your father."

"But you worked it out."

"Yes and no." She smiled at his perplexed look. "Our first marriage didn't work out at all. We spent a year apart. Emmett was just a baby, so he doesn't remember. We were so angry, we exchanged him for visits through your grandparents. We didn't even see each other.

"Then, a mutual friend of ours got sick. We both promised to be there for her, of course. I think that was her plan, because she seemed to leave us alone for long periods of time while she had treatments. We started talking, and discovered that the people we'd become actually had a lot in common—more than we had when we first got together." She grinned at her son. "I felt cheated that I didn't get another tattoo." She traced her fingers where Carlisle's tattoo marked her body. "I always did love his tattoo. I wouldn't mind having it twice. But then, if a new one appeared every time I fell freshly in love with him, I'd be covered from head to foot."

But of course, Edward had married Tanya anyway. They'd been careful to be good, supportive partners. They both went to school and were understanding of each other's needs for space or affection or space or a shoulder to cry on or space.

Tanya had always needed a fair amount of space. That was okay to an extent. Edward appreciated the fact he could make friends in college, and she never minded when he wanted to hang out with them. Tanya preferred their apartment and her books. Edward had always been good at school. He rarely needed to study. Tanya needed to study a lot.

A lot of study turned into a lot of work. Rather than make her a dull girl, Tanya lit up. Edward still loved to see her happy. She was one of those few people who got to do what she loved and get paid for it. It was her hobby, her passion, her life.

Whenever Edward tried to understand what was so great, what made her face light up like that, she seemed to clam up. "It would just frustrate me, Edward. You wouldn't understand. It's not your thing."

Now, his father drew out confessions the same as he had when Edward was a small child. Carlisle listened, effectively letting Edward hear from his own lips what his family had been trying to tell him for years.

"Edward, there's something to the fact you don't have to share your spouse's passion. But you know, there's something to trying every once in awhile. Your mother thinks my love of cars is ridiculous."

"Yeah, you have me and Emmett to go to shows with. Mom never goes," Edward said.

"No, but she does find a way to connect with me." A familiar, adoring grin tugged at the corner of Carlisle's mouth. "Occasionally, she makes plans for us for the weekend. Some tiny town in a picturesque setting where there's a classic car show. She likes taking rides in classic cars, with the top down, of course. She'll listen to me prattle about anything as long as she has the wind in her hair."

"She's working a weekend, Dad. That should be a commendable thing. Her work is important to her."

"Yes, and your family is important to you." His father eyed him. "I can see that it's difficult for you to make excuses for her. You want her here. I'm not the kind of person who thinks spouses should cater to each other's every whim, but you wouldn't be wrong to talk to her. It should be important to her because it's important to you. Just like her job is important to you because it's important to her."

"Dad—"

"I love Tanya, Edward. I do. Your mother and I...we just want you to have a happy life. That's all."

Edward sighed. "I know, Dad."

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 **A/N: As promised, ducks, Edward and Bella should be in the same chapter next time. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: *yawn* I'm at work. Rawr.**

 **Oh, quick note. I think I answered all the questions, but again, if you have any, feel free to ask.**

* * *

 **Bella - Age 24**

Bella loved her boss.

Tanya Cullen was the epitome of who Bella wanted to be. At thirty-five, she was young for having accomplished as much as she had. She'd clawed her way up through the ranks of respected journalists, going from working at a start-up when she was Bella's age, to working with some of the most prominent magazines, to starting her own at thirty.

Bella had started with the magazine as an intern. She'd been hired on after she got her degree, and had worked her way from the bottom rung to...well, the top of the bottom rung. A week before, she'd been promoted to Tanya's personal assistant.

It was a job with a huge turnover rate, but not for the reasons anyone would have expected. Tanya's name carried enough clout in the industry that working at her magazine alone got you noticed. A personal recommendation from Tanya—which the majority of her assistants ended up with—got you hired. With good reason. Tanya was big on showing her people the ropes. One year as her personal assistant came with hands-on job experience.

Only a week in, Bella was eager to show her dedication. Tanya worked late, so Bella worked late. Despite the fact her boss had urged her to go home, Bella stayed on, finishing up projects, doing additional research, or just figuring out the ins and outs of what it took to be Tanya Cullen. Rather, what it took to be the woman who helped Tanya Cullen be Tanya Cullen.

Bella glanced at Tanya's calendar, trying to remember the important dates coming up in the next two weeks. She gasped when she noticed an entry she'd somehow overlooked. Quickly, she picked up her phone and hit the intercom for Tanya's office.

"Oh, God. Please don't tell me the bastard reneged on the interview _again_ ," Tanya said in greeting, referring to a Senator who had promised interviews and slipped through their fingers repeatedly. "This is why I stayed. I knew he was going to try to do the call-after-hours trick."

"No, that's still fine as far as I know," Bella said. "But it's six-thirty. You have dinner across town at seven-thirty. It's marked personal, but it's getting late."

"Shit." Tanya sighed. "Edward already rescheduled this one too. I told him to go without me in the first place. It's his college roommate, after all." She made a disgruntled noise again. "But this has to be done. This has to be done tonight. Oh, Christ. He's going to kill me. Which really, how much sense does it make? He wants me to be out of here earlier, but he'll take up forty-five minutes of my time arguing with me about it. You know what that makes me?"

"Forty-five minutes later than you were going to be?"

"Exactly. I'm glad someone else can do math." Another sigh.

Bella hesitated, wondering if she was overstepping her bounds. "Do you want me to call him for you? Maybe he won't shoot the messenger."

There was a pause, and Bella almost stumbled over an apology. "Would you do that?" Tanya asked, sounding shocked. "He wouldn't yell at you. My husband is really great, actually. I put the poor man through a lot."

"So, I'll give him a call, and I'll arrange a nice dinner reservation for the two of you tomorrow. It's the weekend, and your schedule is clear. Somewhere romantic? You can surprise him."

Tanya laughed. "Oh, I like you, Bella. You're a problem-solver. That would be very sweet of you. Thank you."

Five minutes later, Bella dialed Edward Cullen's cell number. She was a little nervous—who knew what to expect—but reasoned that she couldn't have ambitions as a journalist and be scared to call someone who might be grumpy about what she had to say.

"Hello?"

Something about the sound of his voice sent a shiver down Bella's back. Strange. Might have been the nerves. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Cullen?"

"Speaking."

"Hi. My name's Bella. I'm Tanya's assistant. I was giving you a call, because she's wrapped up at the moment, and—"

"And she won't be able to make it," he said flatly.

"She feels terrible."

"Oh, I'm sure."

The sarcasm in his voice set every defensive bone in Bella's body off. "Mr. Cullen—"

"No, I'm sorry." His voice gentled considerably. "I won't make you make excuses for her." He chuckled—a dark sound. "Believe me, I understand very well what that's like. Thank you for letting me know."

When he hung up, Bella stared at the phone, conflicted. In all honesty, she couldn't blame the man for being annoyed. From what both Mr. Cullen and Tanya had said, she canceled their plans often. But that came with the territory, didn't it? Journalism wasn't the kind of job you could do from eight to five and just walk away for the evening, not to think about it until you got into the office the next day. It didn't work that way. Surely, her husband had to understand that. Bella knew from the gossip mill they'd been married for seventeen years.

Bella propped her foot up on the desk and pulled back her pant leg, considering her tattoo for a moment. It was still her only one. Which wasn't to say she'd been lonely. There had been a few brushes in college—a few maybes that hadn't worked out for one reason or another. Mostly, Bella was glad.

It wasn't that she was opposed to the idea of love. It was just so much drama. In college, she'd gotten an education in more than just journalism. These damn tattoos were the impetus of all kinds of misery. Love was a gateway to pain and complication.

Well, no. Bella wasn't oblivious to the happy stories. They were out there too. Surprisingly, her mother was one of them. She'd gone through a hard time, laid off from her job one year, and moved her fling of the moment in. Phil had yet to leave. And then of course, there was her college best friend, Alice. Alice who, like Bella, hadn't been overly concerned with relationships until Jasper Whitlock, a graduate student, had knocked her on her pretty little ass. So, yeah. Bella could see the value in it.

Still, if she had someone to go home to, it would make her life so much more difficult right now. Maybe later, when she could choose her jobs, spend a few weeks wrapped in a bubble and emerge to live a normal life in between. Now was a good time to be free. Free to make sure she impressed Tanya, so she could get where she wanted to be.

 **Edward - Age 34 and 11 months**

Edward strode into Tanya's office, ignoring her assistant trying to stop him, and slammed the door behind him. He winced as Tanya jumped. He hadn't meant to close the door so hard. Huffing, he ducked his head. "Sorry."

Tanya didn't look pleased to see him, but he expected that. She didn't even get up from her desk. "Edward, what are you doing here?" she asked, sounding tired.

He laughed without humor and sat in the comfortable armchair in the more open half of the room. He took a deep breath, trying to cool his temper. A screaming match was never going to help things. "That is a legitimately ridiculous question, don't you think?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

"No, I really don't." Tanya clicked at her computer. Edward could see pictures flashing past. "It's seven-thirty. Shouldn't you be with your friend? I asked Bella to tell you it was okay to go without me. If you call Benjamin, I'll bet he'd still be willing to hang out."

"I'm sure Benjamin would. Trouble is, hanging out with a grumpy asshole isn't fun for anyone."

Tanya's fingers stopped mid-click. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before she looked to him. "Look, it's just—"

He held up a hand. "Please." He sighed too, so tired of this conversation. "I know it's important, Tanya. I know that. You always have an excuse, and they're good excuses. They're hard to argue with, but they're still excuses."

"Come on, Edward. Give me some credit. I've been there when it really counted, haven't I?" Tanya asked, looking up at him.

He ran a hand over his eyes and smirked. He knew what she was talking about. Among her many great qualities, Tanya was the epitome of a supportive wife. No matter what was going on in her own work life, when the social event was important to his career, she was there without hesitation. She'd played the doting, gorgeous wife at benefits. She'd made dinner when he had to entertain important clients. She'd gotten them amazing seats at the hockey game so he could get in better with a man who would be a beneficial contact. "Yes," he finally said. "You're always there when it's important. Just not when it's important to me."

"Maybe I don't understand that. Why the hell was it so important to you? Benjamin and I were never close. Why did I have to be there?"

"Because it was a couples thing for one. Benjamin brought Tia with him this time, which I told you." Edward hesitated only a moment before he plunged ahead. "If you want to know the truth, tonight, it's mostly that I didn't want to see that goddamned look on his face."

"What look?"

"That look everyone gets when I have to make an excuse for you." Edward sat back, glancing at his wife, trying not to glare. "Do you even realize how old it gets? I lie all the damn time. I've been lying for you for over a decade, making up things that actually might require your immediate attention no matter what time or day."

Tanya's eyes narrowed. "I've never once asked you to lie for me. What the hell is wrong with the truth? I'm _working._ "

"That's not enough. Everyone works. A lot of people work really damn hard, including me, but we still know how to have more in our life than that. Do you know what happens when I tell the truth—that you're just working?"

" _Just_ working." Tanya rolled her eyes, her tone scathing.

Ignoring her, Edward continued. "No one believes you're just working. No one believes anybody could be that dedicated to _work._ That's the look I'm talking about. The look people give me because they think I'm just the jackass husband who believes his wife's obvious lies while she goes out and fucks other men behind my back."

Tanya blanched. "That's ridiculous. I've never cheated on you. Don't you think you would have noticed a new tattoo?"

"Oh, you know damn well an affair doesn't have to be about love." Edward rubbed his temple. "And that's beside the point. I know you're not cheating on me. I know you never have. Not with a person, anyway. But if you showed up with a tattoo of this damn paper stamped across your ass, I wouldn't be surprised." He gestured around them. "This is what you really love. This is where all your love and attention goes."

Tanya was quiet at that. She stared forward, not working, but not really arguing. "You know I love you, don't you?" she asked in a small voice.

Edward took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah, T. I know that. We were doing good for a while there even." She'd tried. The last time they'd had a big blowout fight, she'd honestly tried.

"Then the licensing deal I had went to shit, and it took so long to sort that mess out," Tanya said, running a hand through her hair. "Shit, that was five months ago."

Edward just nodded.

Tanya closed her eyes for a few moments. "Okay," she said. "How about this. You give me twenty more minutes, and I'll go home with you. We'll leave my car here for the weekend, so the only way I can come in is if you bring me."

Edward's lip twitched. "Really?"

"Yeah." She got up from her desk and went to him. She pulled him to his feet and wrapped her arms around him. "I wasn't going to tell you. I was going to surprise you, but maybe it will help you forgive me…"

"What?" Edward asked, arching an eyebrow, rubbing her back.

"We have reservations at that hoity-toity french place you like tomorrow night."

"Really?" He stared at her, shocked. "We really have reservations? Like, right this minute. You've already made them."

She laughed and nodded. "Seven o'clock." She smoothed her hands down his chest. "Just you and me." She winked. "Unless you want to invite Benjamin and Tia. Show them you're the only man in my life. No excuses."

"No. You and me sounds good."

"Good." Tanya gave him a squeeze, a quick kiss, and went back to his computer. "Now, you have to leave me in peace so I can get through this. Then I'm all yours. I promise."

Edward thought about arguing that point. He'd never understood why she needed solitude to concentrate. He could sit right here and catch up on some reports. But she'd conceded a bit, so he had to give too. He headed for the door.

In the anteroom, he came face to face with Tanya's assistant. He blinked, shocked to find her standing so close.

"Sorry," she stammered, taking several steps backward. Her face flushed. "Uh, I was just…"

Edward smiled. "If I didn't want attention, I probably shouldn't have come in here slamming doors. Hey, it'll give you something to gossip about."

To his surprise, the woman's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I've got better things to do than gossip," she said in a forced polite tone. "Mrs. Cullen has a call she'll want to take. I was going to buzz the intercom, but I didn't want to hear anything I had no business hearing. I was going to knock."

Edward was amused that the woman seemed affronted her professionalism had been called into question. "I'm sorry," he said again. "Let's try that again." He extended his hand. "I'm Edward Cullen. You can call me Edward."

She put her hand in his without hesitation. Almost as soon as their skin touched, a jolt went down Edward's spine. She must have felt it too, because she blinked several times as she tilted her chin to look up at him.

"B-Bella." Her eyes tightened at the corners, and she visibly squared her shoulders, recovering from whatever weird static electricity had set the air around them crackling. Her grip was firm as she shook his hand. "Bella Swan."

Edward stepped backward and sunk into one of the chairs meant for people waiting to meet Tanya. His eyes followed Bella as she returned to her desk, thumbing the intercom.

"What is it?" Tanya's voice asked, sounding on the verge of irritated.

"It's the Senator's people. Line 2."

"Shit," Tanya said, and Edward could tell she was seething. "Fucking bastards."

"I know. It took me a good five minutes stalling to keep the guy on the phone. It's a peon. I know it is. He scares too easily to be higher up than that. But it kept him on the line, so it works for us."

Edward snorted. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but woe to the peon who had to face Bella Swan, apparently. And now the poor guy was about to be on the receiving end of Tanya's fast talking too?

Tanya laughed. "Thanks, Bella. I'll take it from here."

So much for twenty minutes, Edward thought.

To distract himself, he cleaned his throat, catching Bella's attention. Might as well get in good with her now. He had a feeling he'd been seeing a lot of her. "So. How long have you worked for my wife?"

* * *

 **A/N: So there's that. This fic is about to get fun (for me).**

 **Many thanks to packy, mina, barburella, and songster. MWAH.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: How you doing, duckies?**

* * *

 _ **Bella**_

Bella liked her boss's husband.

In an effort to spend more time with his wife, Edward had taken to carpooling with her to and from work. As a result, more often than not, he and Bella talked while they waited for Tanya to finish whatever she was doing. Edward was a man of many interests with a thirst for knowledge. Time passed effortlessly when he was around.

It was especially charming to hear him chat about his brother's children. Emmett Cullen had two sets of Irish twins, Vera and Henry-eleven and ten-and Joseph and Abigail-three and two.

"You should have heard Joey crowing when we told him he was old enough to come to miniature golf with the big kids. The whole rest of the time before we left, he kept telling Abby he couldn't play with her because he was a big kid now." Edward shook his head. "He was such a little snot about it."

Bella chuckled. "Sounds like he takes after his uncle that way."

"Rude, Swan. So rude."

"I call them like I see them."

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "I can't say for sure-I didn't have any younger siblings-but it does sound like something I would have done. Though, for the record, the child has a mother. I love Rosalie, but she's a huge snot. If you're going to blame someone, maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Hey, I said I call them like I _see_ them," Bella said. "You're right in front of me. She isn't. I've never met the woman. You lose."

"That's hardly fair."

She patted his hand in a conciliatory fashion. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but life is rarely fair. Speaking of not fair, how did Miss Abigail take it?"

Edward heaved an overemphasized sigh. "Such drama. The whole time we were out, Rosalie sent me Snapchats at her insistence. These little videos of her with big, watery eyes and perfect little pout."

"Oh." Bella put a hand to her chest as though she'd been shot through the heart. " _The_ look. Not the look."

"The very one," Edward said with a solemn nod.

"What is a doting uncle to do?"

"On the way home, I picked her up to join us in celebratory ice cream. She took the ice cream, of course."

"Oh, of course."

"But she gave me the cold shoulder the whole time."

Bella pointed at him. "What you did there. I see it."

Edward winked at her. "She wouldn't talk to me until I promised I'd take her out. Just her and me. An Abby-only outing. I'm taking tomorrow afternoon off work to take her to the pool." He smiled fondly. "I'm convinced she's part fish. She'd spend all day in her paddling pool if Em and Rose would let her, but she loves the big pool."

"Wow, lucky girl. And you're taking time off work for her, huh?"

His smile turned wry. "Yes, well. Some of us know how to do that."

Bella glanced automatically at Tanya's closed office door and then back to Edward with a sympathetic smile. "It's nice that you enjoy your brother's kids so much."

"They're surprisingly cool despite their father." Edward snickered with little-brother brattiness. He sighed wistfully and leaned back in his seat. "You know, once upon a time, I thought I'd have a kid or two of my own by now." He looked at her, his grin roguish but his eyes dimmed somehow. "I thought a lot of things about the life I was supposed to have when I grew up. Then you figure out John Lennon was right. Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

Not knowing what to say to that, Bella let the somehow-heavy silence linger for a few beats before she changed the subject. "It's getting late. Think we should concede defeat for the evening and order up some dinner?"

"Only if you're talented enough to find an Italian place that delivers. I'm in the mood for pasta and garlic."

"Challenge accepted."

 _ **Edward**_

When Tanya agreed to try to give more of her weekend to him, Edward had done his part by suggesting the carpooling idea. It wasn't a big deal, after all. The evenings he'd previously spent home alone waiting for her to come home, he'd busied himself on his laptop. He had his own successful career, and used the time to keep up with his industry...and mess around on social media. He'd seen his fair share of the Internet's cat videos, for sure.

He'd decided he could do that hanging out in Tanya's building just as easily as he could do it at home. That was the intention anyway. More often than not, he ended up getting distracted in conversation with Bella.

"You know what I do miss, though? Somewhat pathetically," Edward said when Bella asked him about what he used to do in the evenings.

"What's that?"

"Television." He rolled his eyes. "I got caught up in a few of the big shows, you know? _Empire, How to Get Away With Murder, Supernatural, The Walking Dead_."

" _The Walking Dead_ is on Sundays. No excuse there."

"Ah, but my Sundays are always busy. I record the show, and I used to watch it on Monday nights. Now I don't have any time."

"Record it?" Bella scoffed. As she spoke, her fingers flew over her keyboard, finishing up a few e-mails that needed to be sent out. He admired the way she could type and talk at the same time. It freaked him out a little when her fingers kept typing even as she looked over at him.

"What is this, the nineties?" Bella said, teasing him. "No one records things anymore."

"You know what I mean. I DVR them."

"That's what I'm talking about. No one does that anymore. Your cable provider has to have video on demand. And barring that, there's Hulu. You don't even have to be on your TV for that."

Edward wrinkled his nose. "I don't like watching things on my phone."

"Well, I have a better idea. Give me two shakes."

He watched, somewhat bemused, as her fingers sped across the keyboard in double time. "I see no shaking going on," he said after a minute.

She clicked the mouse with particular force, nodded with satisfaction, and stood. Arching an eyebrow, she gave her ass two shakes. It hadn't been his intention, but, as a red blooded male, he could appreciate a good thing when he saw one. " There, you smart alec. Come on," she said, waving him forward with a smile.

There was a small meeting room off the main room, still within sight of Tanya's office door and Bella's intercom. Edward watched as Bella lowered the projection screen and fired up the computer.

"Unrestricted Internet access, huh?" Edward said as he watched Bella pull up Hulu.

She fixed him with a look. "This is a magazine. We do everything from serious investigative reports to tabloid garbage. We need the Internet. Freedom of the press, man."

"Ah, yes. That's exactly what the constitution was referring to. You know what the internet is for, right?"

"I have seen Avenue Q."

Edward whistled the most famous song from that musical, _The Internet is For Porn_.

Straightening, Bella put her hands on her hips. "See, I was going to make you popcorn, but if you're going to be sassy about it, you can go without."

"Ooo. Hit a man where it hurts."

By that time, Bella was on the main screen. Edward cocked his head, catching a glimpse of the shows under Shows You Watch. He started to laugh. " _Jane the Virgin_ , huh?"

Her cheeks flushed pink, but she shrugged. "Okay, I know the concept is absurd."

"The concept isn't absurd. Stranger things have happened. But enough to fill a television show week after week?"

"Oh, it's ridiculous. It's the most ridiculous show I've ever watched in my life, but somehow, it's charming in its ridiculousness. Don't judge me."

Edward put on his most innocent expression. "I'll only judge you if you're Team Michael."

Her eyes went wide with shock and then she grinned. "Nope. Team Rafael all the way." She paused a beat, studying him. "But my favorite is Rogelio."

"Not even. The narrator steals the show without even being present."

"Oh, well, I can't argue with that." She sat down in the chair next to his. "So... Jane or _How To Get Away With Murder_ first?"

* * *

 **A/N: *hums* Getting to know you, getting to know all about youuuuu. Getting to like you. Getting to hope you like me.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm digging that y'all are digging this. :)**

* * *

"We need to look over the comp reports. Lauren put in some weird expenses that accounting wanted me to go over." Tanya ran a harried hand through her hair. "You think you can take a look and tell me what you think, Bella? I'm not in the mood to be petty, and I trust your judgment. If you think the expense is warranted, that's good enough for me. I need to go over the proposals from the ad companies, and I— Fuck!"

Bella put her tablet down, startled out of her notes. "What is it?"

Tanya gave a wry laugh and ran a hand over her eyes. "Edward's birthday is in two days. I kept meaning to brainstorm something brilliant." She pursed her lips. "He's one of those people who's good at gifts. You know the type. He never gets you the gift you need or what you want. He gets you something that speaks to you. Know what I mean?"

"Those are the best kinds of gifts." Bella tapped at her tablet, sitting down in the chair across from Tanya. "You can still figure out something great. We'll brainstorm, and I'll set it up for you. I already confirmed lunch reservations for you and his family. Then I was able to get you in for dinner theater, just the two of you, that same evening."

"Oh, that's fun. That's a great idea."

"Edward strikes me as the kind of guy who loves anything with a sense of occasion," Bella said.

Tanya laughed. "That's very true. He loves getting dressed up." She smiled fondly. "Sometimes I think he belongs in an era of masked balls or something. He'd love that insanity. He'd feel right at home as part of a royal court back in the days when being King or Queen of England actually meant something."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Bella's mouth. She could picture it clearly. "Maybe we can play on that," she said, doing a few quick searches. "I have an idea."

Some clicking and conspiring later, and they'd secured a gift Bella knew Edward would love. Tanya gave Bella a hug. "You're quick on your feet. This is perfect."

"It's no problem." Bella cleared her throat. "Hey, so, speaking of Edward's birthday, I've been meaning to ask you." She swallowed, wondering for the millionth time if she was stepping over a line. "Would you be uncomfortable if I wanted to give him something for his birthday?"

Tanya looked confused. "What? Oh, no." She gave a short laugh. "Oh, hon. I'm not the jealous type. I've never had a reason to be." She tilted her head, considering. "Maybe I should be. I'm not oblivious to how attractive Edward is. I see the way people stare at him, but I don't know. We've always been an us, you know? We're a constant.

"Besides, it tickles me that you guys get along so well. Friends give friends gifts all the time, it's cool." She smiled fondly. "I'm cool with the idea of other people celebrating my husband. He's one of the good ones. I know that." She tilted her head, eye Bella with mock sternness. "Unless your gift is better than mine."

"Oh, naw." Bella waved a hand. "It's really just calling in a favor where a friend of mine works. No big deal."

"Then I'm cool with it. Especially if you can help me with these damn ad agencies. I don't have time for this. I'd much rather be overseeing the spread about Israel. That's touchy territory for an upstart like ours."

"I don't mind doing the research, boss," Bella said.

"You're going places, kid."

 _ **~0~**_

Neither Edward nor Bella watched enough shows to fill the time they had to kill waiting for Tanya. They'd decided to start something new. Bella had lost the Rock, Paper, Scissors game, so rather than watching _Jessica Jones_ like she wanted to, they'd started _Fear The Walking Dead_.

They'd moved from the conference room chairs to the small sofa that occupied one side of the room. Bella made popcorn. She was glad he wasn't the type who demanded silence for his television watching pleasure.

"Obviously, I like the Walking Dead. You know that. We've watched the last two together," Bella said.

"How do you claim to like The Walking Dead and not want to watch this show?" Edward challenged, gesturing at the screen.

"I just don't want to watch two zombie shows that fail at getting my blood pumping. When was the last time you— Aghh!"

Bella was caught off guard by a surprise zombie attack. She actually pushed backward, her feet scrambling on the carpet as though she was trying to run away from the action on the screen even though she was sitting down.

Edward burst out laughing. "Oh, that was perfect timing."

"That was a fluke. I don't think— Shit!" Bella jumped, tucking her legs up underneath her on the seat and cringing to the side as another attack took her by surprise. She sucked in a breath, squeaking, her eyes riveted on the screen. "Oh, no." She turned her head into Edward's chest, hiding her eyes.

The moment she realized what she was doing, she straightened up, scooting as far as the small sofa would allow. "Sorry," she said, her cheeks heating as she glanced at Edward. "I didn't mean… Sorry."

His expression was bemused. She expected him to laugh at her again, but there was a strange taste to the air. It was almost awkward. Almost, but not quite. He looked almost confused, like he couldn't decide what to say to her. He opened his mouth.

They both jumped as another zombie attack ensued on screen, and, looking at each other, they laughed nervously. Edward smiled. "This is the part where you eat your words, Swan."

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Bella giggled. "Hey, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong."

They watched three episodes before Edward stood and stretched. Bella checked her phone. "It's later than usual."

Edward scoffed. "I figured she might do this. She promised to pay attention to me the whole day tomorrow, so of course she's working ridiculously late tonight." He shrugged. "But it's fine. At least it means she'll actually be there."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "You mean she's missed your birthday before?"

Edward yawned and nodded. "Last year. A few times before that." Another shrug. "I really can't blame her for most of it. When you're a young journalist, you go where you're assigned when you're assigned. I understand that."

"But last year…" Bella shook her head. "I'm sure she had a good reason."

"She always does." Edward picked up the long-emptied popcorn bowl. "Anyway, I doubt she'll need you the rest of the night if she hasn't called you by now. You should head on home."

Bella hesitated, but he was right. There was no reason for her to stay. "Okay," she said. Nerves began to twist her stomach. "Hey, I have something for you. A birthday gift."

His eyebrows shot up, his lips turning up with a smile. "Really? You didn't have to do that."

"I need your e-mail address."

He looked bemused. "Okay, now I'm curious. What the heck kind of gift is this?"

Taking out her phone, Bella waited patiently. After a few minutes of wheedling didn't get him the answer he wanted, he finally gave up his e-mail address. Bella forwarded him the information and waited as he read.

His eyes went wide. "Seriously? Am I reading this right? Three tickets to race Ferraris?"

"I know you like to do car stuff with your dad and your brother." She smirked, remembering the conversation they'd had about how many speeding tickets Edward had gotten in his twenties. "And I know you like to go fast."

He looked up at her, still shell-shocked. "Not to sound like a fifteen-year-old boy, but this is awesome." He grinned, looking giddy, and wrapped an arm around Bella's waist. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead, squeezing her tightly before letting her go. "Really, this is the sweetest thing."

Warmth spread through Bella's chest, and she couldn't fight her answering grin. "It's not a big deal. My friend works there. He's like you—loves fast cars."

He gave her another quick hug. "It's really great. Thank you."

"Yeah. Happy birthday."

 **Edward**

"Whoo!"

Edward and Emmett cracked up when their father's adrenaline-fueled cry echoed through the race track. Emmett laughed so hard he fell onto the ground. Their father was a soft spoken, dignified man, but even he couldn't deny the natural high.

"Speeding rocks," Emmett said.

"Can't argue with that," Edward said.

His brother eyed him. "So, your wife's assistant got this for you?"

"Don't start."

"I mean, it's funny. It's Tanya who's supposed to be boinkingher secretary. That's how the trope goes."

"No one is boinking anyone."

Emmett got to his feet. "You're supposed to be boinking your wife, Edward. Is that how you've managed to remain childless all this time?" He ruffled Edward's hair. "Oh, my sweet summer child."

Edward shoved at his brother who laughed at him. "It's a badass gift," Emmett said seriously.

"Yes."

"Perfect for you."

"Yeah. Bella's become a good friend. She's good people. Tanya is really impressed with her."

Emmett scoffed. "Yeah, I'll bet," he said under his breath.

Edward ignored him. "I was spoiled this year. You know what Tanya got me?"

"Well, according to you, it wasn't sex."

"She went in for one of those fancy dinners. You know, one of those thousand-dollar-a-plate affairs for charity where everyone dresses up like it's Oscar's night? It's in a month, so that gives me time to get a new tux."

"Hoity-toity." Emmett clapped his shoulder. "Sounds like you."

Edward shrugged. "Hey, man. Tell me you wouldn't want to see Rose dressed up in a slinky dress. Something that shimmers and hugs her curves. Her hair all fancy." He smiled at the image in his head.

Emmett laughed. "Yeah, you're like Dad. Dad loves seeing Mom dressed up like that. Not me. I'd rather see Rose in coveralls, smelling like oil."

"And they say we're brothers."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey!**

 **While I've got your attention, I've been meaning to tell you. I know I've long since given up responding to reviews, but I want to remind you that you're all really important to me. I'm so grateful. Your reviews, kind words, encouragement, and enjoyment of my stories has often been the difference between a bad day and a good. I read and treasure each and every one of them. Trust.**

 **Mush aside...how we doing, kids? Theories? Thoughts?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: A few people are still confused about the tattoos. To clarify—everyone is born with a unique tattoo on their ankle. Bella's is a vine, Edward's look like flames, Jacob's looks like a wolf, etc. They can be all different sizes. If and when they fall in love, that person's tattoo appears somewhere on their body (in addition to their own tattoo). It's important to note that all they have to do for this to happen is to fall in love. It's not an indication of anything else. It doesn't mean they're soulmates. It doesn't mean they should be together. It doesn't mean that the love won't fade. All it means is that, if you have someone's tattoo on you, you were in love with them at some point.**

* * *

 _ **~Bella - Three Years Ago~**_

"You're a strange one, Bella. Sometimes, I can't figure you out."

Bella looked up at her best friend with a bemused smile. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't even like your tattoo. Now, suddenly, you're tattooing your tattoo?" Jake gestured at the artist who was working on Bella's leg.

The artist looked up and gave Jake a grin. "Hey, man, people want to take ownership of their bodies for all kinds of reasons, you know? Mostly, they want to forget about someone who broke their heart."

"Yeah," Bella said. She looked down to where Jacob was rubbing his wrist—rubbing at Paul's tattoo. "I got the idea from you."

Jacob scoffed, a bitter expression coming over his face. "That's different. You think it's easy looking at this thing? Not just because Paul is an asshole, and it took me way too long to shake his pathetic ass. But this" -He shook his arm at Bella- "this was the beginning of hell for me. You know that."

"I know that," Bella said quietly. She sucked in a breath as the tattoo artist touched a sensitive spot on her ankle. "I don't know, Jake. This thing wasn't my choice anymore than Paul's was yours. Maybe it's silly. I want to take ownership of this as much as you wanted to make your wrist tattoo about you, not him."

"Met a girl once. Some asshole's tattoo popped up on her _face._ " The tattoo artist shook his head. "That's some bullshit right there. She said he called her a clingy bitch, and she hasn't seen him since." He shook his head again and bent to his work. "If you ask me, love is overrated."

"Just don't ask Jacob," Bella said, teasing to ease the tension. "He falls in love way too easily."

Jacob snorted. "I'm an easygoing guy." He rolled up his shirt, showing off a tribal tattoo in the shape of a circle on one arm and then another at the hip. "But these assholes didn't ruin my life, at least."

The tattoo artist stood up, looking at Bella. "What do you think?"

Bella twisted her leg so she could see better and smiled.

The tattoos they were born with and the ones that showed up when people fell in love really should have been called birthmarks. Some shapes were more distinct than others—Bella's vines looked like that and nothing else; whereas, Jacob's wolf could be and had been interpreted as anything from a dog to a shark to a mountain.

Now, though, Bella's vines had definition and color. The artist had added shadow and hues of green and brown. "It's gorgeous. Just perfect." She looked to Jacob. "See. I'm not trying to make my tattoo into something else, like you did. I'm just trying to make it mine. No one else will ever have this tattoo. Not even if they fall in love with me."

Jacob ruffled her hair. "Well, you go girl. You do you."

"So, I'm Embry, by the way," the tattoo artist said, extending a hand toward Jacob. "You should give me a call if you want to do something about those other tatts."

Bella had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, watching her best friend eye-fuck the tattoo artist. Jacob's lip turned up in a grin and he gave the guy's hand a vigorous shake. "We should talk about that."

 _ **~Bella - Now~**_

Bella propped her legs up on the desk, switching over to the tablet to continue the report she was working on. Tanya was scheduled to go to a party hosted by some important people. Bella's job was to get some background info so Tanya could schmooze the right people.

She'd gotten into work at six-thirty that day, needing to go with Tanya to assist her during a presentation she was giving to obtain funding. It was nearly six now, and Bella's brain was threatening to rebel. She didn't want to concentrate anymore.

Her mind wandered down to her pant-clad leg, and she smiled. One of the things she loved most about making the transition to full-blown adulthood—out of school, job, bills, apartment—was the juvenile things that weren't important anymore. Even in college, tattoos were one of the first things people asked about.

In the working world, no one cared. Almost all the women who worked with Tanya—and Tanya herself—wore pantsuits formally and jeans informally, so personal tattoos were rarely visible. There was a woman—one of the photographers, a friendly girl named Angela—who wore skirts, showing off her tattoo and that of her husband on the opposite ankle, but it wasn't as prevalent as it had been throughout Bella's school years.

She liked the idea people wanted to know more about her than her love life. Like that morning, when the meeting was over and they were making polite conversation, Bella had been asked about her experience, her schooling, and what it was like working for Tanya Cullen. No one even glanced at her leg or wondered out loud if her lover's tattoos were simply out of sight.

Which wasn't to say tattoos weren't thought of. Bella was as curious as anyone else. She knew Tanya had a tattoo behind her ear. Edward's tattoo? Bella had often wondered. It made sense. Edward had told her they'd been married forever. Bella wondered if Edward's tattoo was as large as hers. She imagined the flame licking up the back of his leg.

"I come bearing Chinese."

Speak of the devil. Bella put her feet back on the ground, straightening up as Edward breezed into the room. "Hello, Edward."

"Hello," he said, setting the bag on her desk. He flashed her a grin. "A special treat for you, Miss Swan."

Bella made a happy noise when he opened a carton to reveal moo shu pork. She loved the stuff. Edward and Tanya both hated it.

Edward made a face, watching her spoon the mixture onto the tortilla. "Ugh. Why do you like that so much?"

"I like things with eggs, and I like things with bamboo. Oh, and mushrooms." She drizzled the hoisin sauce over the mixture, looking up at him as she did. "All of this tastes good."

"Eggs should be for omelettes and nothing else."

"There are eggs in your fried rice."

"That's different."

"Of course it is."

He chuckled and picked up the trays that weren't hers. "I'll be back, I'm sure," he said dryly and headed into his wife's office.

 _ **~Edward~**_

Bella brought her work into the conference room with her when they settled down to watch their shows. Edward was vaguely annoyed until it became clear Bella didn't get immersed the way Tanya did. She still commented on the show and continued to discuss even as her fingers flew across the keyboard.

"How are you doing that, anyway?" Edward asked, nodding at the tablet she had plugged into the portable keyboard. "Concentrating on both things."

She seemed perplexed. "Are you one of those people who can't do two things at once?"

He scoffed. "Believe me, I can do many things at the same time." His voice was pitched lower than he'd intended. He cleared his throat. "I just mean that it's distracting me."

"What? Why?"

"The things you're writing about these people. It's clever. I can put together a report and watch TV at the same time, but it won't be clever."

She seemed amused. "I guess everyone needs a useless talent."

"Not so useless." He rested his head against the back of the couch, tilting it so he could see the words flashing across the screen. There was a pattern to what she was doing with each person—uploading a picture, resizing to fit the template she'd created, pulling three clever tidbits out to give Tanya talking points.

He yawned, and Bella looked over at him with a small smile. "You look really tired today."

"Early start." He yawned again. "But of course, you know that. You had to have gotten up around the same time we did."

"Up since five," she said.

"What's your secret? You look awake."

"Coffee. Strong coffee." She tilted her head in the direction of the kitchenette in the corner. "I can make us some."

"Naw, I'll be okay." He gestured to the screen. "The show's getting interesting."

It couldn't have been that interesting—or else he was more exhausted than he'd thought—because the next thing he knew, Bella was calling his name.

"Hey, wake up."

He felt a gentle touch against his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly, a smile spreading across his face when Bella came into view.

Then, he realized what he was doing. He was slumped all the way over now, his head resting on Bella's shoulder.

He sat up straight. "Sorry." He chuckled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have taken you up on that coffee. I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."

"It didn't really bother me." She seemed ever so slightly shy, ducking her head and meeting his gaze only furtively. "I almost felt bad about disturbing you."

He smiled, resting his head on the back of the couch, further away from her this time. He studied her for a moment.

"What?" she asked, her cheeks turning pink.

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable." He yawned and turned his head to stare up at the ceiling. "I was just thinking it was strange. You and I haven't known each other very long. What has it been? A few days a week for the last six weeks? But I feel very comfortable with you. Like I've known you forever."

She was quiet so long Edward started to think he'd creeped her out. But when he looked over at her, he saw she looked more contemplative than anything.

"My best friend's boyfriend has a theory about that," Bella said, noticing his look. "He believes in reincarnation. He thinks that when two people feel like they know each other almost instantly like that, it's because they knew each other before. So it's not so much that you know the person—who they are now. It's that your souls recognize each other."

Edward considered this. "That's an interesting thought." He grinned. "Where did we meet in this other life, Bella Swan?"

She closed her tablet and set it on the arm of the couch, studying him a moment. "England. I think I was a queen and you were a peasant."

He smirked. "Peasants don't usually consort with queens."

"Ah, see, I was one of the benevolent ones. I took pity on you—lowly peasant."

"That does sound like something you would do. Well, it's no wonder I liked you right away. The lowly peasant in me didn't know any better."

She laughed, but before she could retort, Tanya's door came open. They both stood, going to meet her in the anteroom.

"I need wine and a long nap," Tanya announced.

"That's typically called sleeping through the night," Edward said, shaking his head. "Come along, wife." He turned to Bella and gave a dramatic bow. "Have a good evening, Your Majesty."

Tanya looked amused as they headed out the door. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

 **A/N: All of my prereaders are drop dead gorgeous people, and I thank them profusely for putting up with me.**

 **And I want to promise Mina I'll write the Mexico outtake for Trouble Follows ;)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Did you guys see the banner Mina made me? Love that girl.**

 **Let's see how this goes.**

* * *

"Are you insane?"

It wasn't the kind of thing Bella should have asked her boss no matter how well she knew her, but all things considered, she felt it was warranted. "I can't go to the ball with Edward." The words were ridiculous to even say.

"How is this insane?" Tanya asked, sitting on the edge of her desk.

Bella opened her mouth and closed it several times, stumbling and stuttering because there was so much wrong. "I...I...I don't even know where to start. He's going to be pissed as hell for one thing."

Tanya's easy smile faltered and her shoulders slumped. "I know." She rubbed her eyes. "Be honest with me, Bella. I know myself. I know I tend to think I'm the only one in the world who could do the things I do, and usually, that's not the case. I hire great people. I could delegate a lot of the work I take on myself. I know this.

"But this is an exception, isn't it?" She tapped her fingertips on the desk. "I need to go to London to close this deal. No one else can do that, because they want to speak with me and no one but me. If I can secure this connection, our people will be able to have so much more freedom and support when we have to do an overseas story. Our reach and our resources would grow exponentially. This is exactly what we need to play with the big boys, right?"

Bella bit her lip, thinking it over. She sighed. "Yeah. We do. We really do need this."

"Oh, good. At least you can see that." She frowned, looking genuinely distressed. "Edward is going to be furious, and rightfully so. But he would be mad at me, not you, Bella."

Tanya smiled, leaning forward. "Let's look at the facts. I paid $2,000 for this dinner, so someone should enjoy it. And Edward really does want to go. He's been bouncing off the walls for a month. He's stoked."

"He's stoked to go with you."

"Right, but we've already established, I have to go to London. That's the only thing that makes sense. I can't change the date of the ball, so I can't go."

"But why me?" Bella said, still stunned. "I mean, I'm honored you would think of me."

"It seems like the right thing to do. You're the one who helped me think of the gift. It really was the perfect gift for him."

"Right, but if not with you, wouldn't he rather go with someone else? His mother or his sister-in-law?"

Tanya grimaced. "You want to know the honest truth? I really don't want them to know. Especially Rosalie. Christ, I'd never hear the end of it. They think I neglect Edward." She scoffed. "Like he's a child or something. You can't neglect a grown man."

She shook her head as though shaking off that thought, and waved a hand. "Bella, honestly, in case it's escaped your notice, my husband adores you. He's a tough nut to crack, believe it or not. He doesn't have a lot of patience for people." She cocked her head, a far off look going over her face. "Maybe I take all the patience he has," she said with a wry laugh. "But either way, he doesn't have a lot of friends. Even if he did, I'd much rather it be you."

"Why?" Bella asked, still not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Well, for one thing, you've been invaluable to me these last two months, and I try to reward your kind of hard work and ingenuity."

Bella flushed and ducked her head, pleased. She tried her best to be a hard worker, to pay her dues so she could get where she wanted to go.

"The other reason is that I trust you," Tanya said softly.

Bella raised her head, not quite understanding.

Tanya's smile was sad. "Look, I'm not oblivious to the fact I don't pay as much attention to my husband as I should." She pursed her lips, her expression wry. "I keep telling myself, just one more thing, and I'm going to get down to the business of doing all the things we planned when we were kids. I just need to settle one more loose end, and then we can plan all the trips we want to take." She looked at Bella. "You know how he does so much charity work? Work with Big Brothers, all that jazz?"

Bella nodded.

"We were supposed to do that together. And I want to, you know? I want to give back. Somehow. It's just that donating is easier. I only have so many hours in my day."

She waved a hand. "Anyway. The point is, I know Edward is a good, loyal man, but he's not infallible. He does have friends, but not friends I trust not to strike in a weak moment." She looked in Bella's eyes. "But I trust you."

The words carried a profound air that Bella didn't quite understand. It wouldn't have occurred to her to think about having to trust a woman she sent as she would have trusted Edward completely. Still, she was honored. It was a compliment, no two ways about it, and a huge one given that this woman had so much power over her career.

She swallowed hard. It felt as though her heart had leapt up into her throat. "I...I mean, I don't even own a dress. Not one you could wear to a ball, anyway. I don't think I could even afford one. Not when I'd have to get the right makeup. All my jewelry is cheap."

"Oh, Bella. Don't worry about that." Tanya stood up and went to her desk. She pulled out her purse, her expression turning excited. "This is going to be fun, you'll see. Here." She proffered a credit card.

Bella balked. "I can't take that."

"Of course you can. Let me take care of everything. It's the least I can do. I'll write you a list of places to go—where to buy a dress, get your hair and makeup done the day of, a place to rent the jewelry." She smiled, shaking the card. "Really, Bella. You deserve it. And Edward will still have a great time with you. He really loves fancy ideas—women in pretty dresses, men in crisp suits. He'll love it even more knowing it's you who gets to go. Take it."

Bella sighed. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

Bella took the card.

 _ **~Edward~**_

Edward was disgruntled.

It should have been some comfort to him that Tanya's excuse this time was better than most. There really was no getting around it had to be her who made the trip, and it was too much to lose not to go. It should have been some solace, but it wasn't. Not when it came as just one more excuse in a sea of them. It left him bitter.

He took a deep breath and blew it out again. None of that was Bella's fault, he reminded himself.

At the thought of Bella, his lips twitched upwards. Despite his grumpiness, he was genuinely excited to be with her tonight. She'd been adorably nervous all week long, and had filled the hours they spent together with babbling over the most inane worries. She said that she didn't know anything about etiquette. She had no business wearing the dress she'd bought with Tanya's blessing. She hadn't ever been to a prom, let alone something as fancy as this.

No doubt about it, Bella was going to be totally out of her depth, but Edward was the kind of person who thought that wasn't a bad thing. Everyone should push their boundaries a bit, and he had a feeling Bella was the type who would rise to any occasion.

The limo pulled into her complex, and he let his excitement chase the bitterness out of sight and out of mind. Bella shared a condo with her best friend and his boyfriend. It wasn't in a horrible part of town, but he was definitely out of place as he made his way to her door.

"Damn, man. Did you make a wrong turn?" A guy walking down the alleyway asked, giving him a once over.

Edward smirked and continued on without comment. He got to Bella's door and knocked.

A tall, broad man with long black hair and a million tattoos answered the door. He, too, gave Edward a once over, but unlike the guy in the alley, his expression indicated he found him lacking. "Can I help you?"

"Cut it out, Jake." Another young man appeared behind him. He was a little more lanky, but muscular with as many tattoos as Jacob's if not more—neither one of them were wearing shirts. He grinned at Edward. "Excuse my boyfriend. He thinks it's his duty to give Bella's date a hard time."

"It's not a date." Yet another man appeared behind them. He was tall, with longish blond hair. "They're just friends. And would you let him in the door?"

Bemused, Edward stepped inside. "Let me guess." He pointed to the first man. "Jacob."

"Gee, that one was tough, given that Em said my name." Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, looking so unimpressed, Edward was surprised he didn't pass out.

It didn't bother him. He pointed to the other dark-haired man. "Which makes you Embry."

The man's grin widened, and he nodded.

Edward pointed to the blond and hesitated. "Jasper?"

The man—slightly older than Jacob and Embry but somewhat younger than Edward—flashed a friendly smile. "Jasper indeed."

"Which means Bella is with Alice, right?"

Jasper laughed. "You do pay attention, don't you?"

"I try." Edward's eyes wandered over to Jacob and Embry.

Every once in awhile, Edward saw a person covered in various tattoos—the sure sign of someone who fell in love often and easily. He also knew that, while Jacob had a few false starts, most of his tattoos were the work of his artist boyfriend.

"You're wondering which ones are love tattoos?" Jacob said, cracking a smile for the first time.

"Just curious," Edward said with an easy shrug.

Jacob put his arm around Embry, pulling him closer. "The way I see it? They're all his."

Edward was about to remark what a sweet sentiment that was when the sound of a door opening above them caught his attention. He turned in the direction of the noise. As he did, his mind went blank. His breath left him.

Bella paused at the top of the stairs, the expression on her face uncertain. Edward couldn't imagine why. She was stunning—quite literally stunning. She belonged on a movie screen—far too beautiful to be real. Her gown was deep blue and perfect against her skin—sleek on top, coming down like shimmering rain to a full dress below. Her hair was bound in an elegant up-do, one perfect tendril curled at the side of her face. A simple sapphire necklace accentuated her bust and the line of her almost-bared shoulders. Her lips were red, her cheeks a hectic pink, and Edward couldn't breathe as she descended the stairs.

"Wow," he said on a breath when she was on the landing in front of him.

She ducked her head, her cheeks flushing. "I feel silly. Like a little girl dressing up like a princess."

He chuckled. "You don't look silly."

Jacob whistled, reminding Edward they weren't alone. He took a step back, letting her friends admire her.

"Jesus, Bella. You look like you're going to the Oscar's," Jacob said. He held her arm aloft, encouraging her to twirl.

With a shy smile, she did. Edward watched the skirt of her dress swish. The fabric looked like the night sky—deep blue and sparkling with stars.

"She cleans up nice. I always told her," said a female voice.

Edward turned, somewhat surprised to see a short woman with spiky hair had appeared out of nowhere. Or maybe he just hadn't noticed when Bella descended the stairs in front of her. He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "You're Alice," he guessed.

"Don't believe anything Bella says about me." She offered her hand. Her shake was firm. "Watch out for her, Edward Cullen. She's not so steady on those heels yet."

" _Alice_." Bella's cheeks were bright pink as she hissed at her friend.

Chuckling, Edward offered his arm. "Shall we?"

Bella looped her arm through his, and though she made a brave show of it, he could tell she was trembling a little. Still, there was no dread in her. The spark in her eyes was excited.

When they got to the limo, Bella gasped. "Oh, my God. What the heck is this?"

"Surely you've seen a limo before."

"Seen yes. Been in one, no."

"Don't worry," he said, releasing her so the driver could help her into the backseat. "It's just a really long car."

"With a bar. It's a car with a bar in it," Bella said when he got in the other side. She laughed at herself. "I don't even know why this is all so mystifying. It's just surreal." She looked at him, her eyes darting down his body and back up. "Jake was wrong about me, though. You're the one who looks like you're expecting to win an Oscar tonight."

"Wrong party, but I think we'll have a better time anyway. The Oscar's would be boring as hell to sit through in person."

She grinned. "They're boring as hell to sit through at home."

Edward offered her a flute of champagne. "I'll toast to that."

When they got to the venue, Edward had to struggle to keep his chuckle in check. He was tickled and charmed. The Bella he knew was cool as a cucumber. This Bella was wide-eyed as she looked around at the other people trickling into the ballroom. The venue itself was as elegant as the patrons, and she craned her neck as she walked in the door. "Oh, man. I don't belong here."

"Relax," he said, murmuring near her ear. "You fit right in, Bella. It's a party. Take a deep breath and have some fun." He winked at her.

It was a party, but a very fancy one. Even Edward was a little awed. For a thousand dollars a plate, he knew it was going to be lavish, but this was almost too much. The music was a live orchestra. The decorations were extensive and doubtlessly expensive. It would have been pretentious if it wasn't so fun. They even had an announcer calling their names as they descended the staircase one couple or family at a time.

They sat at their table with an older couple who wore each other's tattoos on their often joined hands—lucky placement there—and a group of three friends. They got to talking about various charities they'd done and what they wanted to do. Edward had traveled several times to help build homes both in the United States and abroad.

When they turned the conversation on Bella. Edward was about to change the direction of conversation—he knew she hadn't gotten much travel in, let alone travel for the sake of charity—but she answered for herself.

"I haven't done much abroad as of yet, but it's on my bucket list for sure." She sipped her wine, and he could tell by the look in her eyes she was debating whether or not to go further. "I did a minor in human services, though. I started a project I'm pretty proud of that kind of snowballed. It became its own organization."

"Really? Which organization?" One woman asked.

"Pathways of Hope," Bella said.

Edward's eyebrows shot up. "The adult literacy group?"

"Well, they do more than that now. They've really expanded."

"And you started that?" Edward asked, mystified.

She flushed. "I mean...it was a group of us. I did a lot of the legwork over the four years I was in college. Applying for grants, doing the research, things like that. I'm not really involved anymore—not with the running of it—but I still volunteer once a month or so."

He stared. "That's incredible." Here the rest of them were dabblers—taking on charity work on a whim here and there. He knew damn well that while his kind of charity worked helped, he wasn't making a true impact.

"It just happened," Bella said with a self-deprecating shrug.

As Edward had predicted, though she was initially shy, Bella came out of her shell as the meal went on. She was a well-educated, passionate woman, and she held her own in conversation.

By the time they were done with dessert, several couples had moved out onto the dance floor. Edward hummed along, swaying. He studied Bella for a long moment before he leaned in to speak lowly in her ear. He didn't want her to feel pressured into agreeing just because people were listening. "Dance with me, Bella?"

She turned her head quickly, her eyes wide. "Oh." She looked to the dance floor, nervousness seeping back into her expression. "I really don't know how."

"It's not difficult. I promise."

As usual, she was up for the challenge. She nodded. "Okay, but if I bruise the hell out of your feet, just remember you asked for it."

He led her out onto the dance floor. Taking her hand, he guided it to his hip. "Put this here." He guided her other hand to his shoulder. "This here." He wrapped an arm around her waist, splaying his hand over the small of her back, pulling her just a little closer. "Like this. Then step where I lead." He swayed them in an easy circle and grinned. "See? Nothing to it."

She huffed, but she was smiling. "As long as we don't have to do anything with a name. Tango. Foxtrot. Bunny hop."

"Too bad. You'd make a good bunny."

She wiggled her nose at him.

The song turned into one significantly slower. Edward almost laughed when he recognized it. Lady in Red.

Well, she was a lady in blue, but much of the sentiment was the same. It was a song that belonged to a man in awe of the woman he was dancing with. Edward was that. It hadn't escaped his notice that Bella was beautiful, but she was in a world of her own today.

Her step faltered, and she tensed under his hand. "Relax," he said, pressing his palm against her back in reassurance. "It's just a dance."

She wrinkled her nose. "I feel like people are staring at you."

He had to chuckle like that. Again, the song fit. "Some people are, but not because you look foolish."

"No?"

"No. It's because they want to be the ones dancing with you."

She tilted her head up, her eyes sparking and her lips turning up. "You're a smooth talker, you know that?"

"Pfft. I'm only telling the truth."

She smiled indulgently but he felt her relax. She was enjoying herself, and he was glad.

It wasn't unusual, at events and benefits like these, for Edward to dance with women who weren't his wife. Tanya had never liked to dance as much as he did, and there were always plenty of partners who were in the same boat. It was different with Bella. More than just liking dancing, he liked dancing with _her._ He really hadn't been lying. He'd seen several men around the dance floor looking over at her, and some almost forgotten, teenage sense of machismo made him want to strut because it was him she was with.

He liked hanging out with her in any context; seeing her dolled up—charming socialites, her eyes bright with the newness of the experience—was nice. More than nice.

She looked up at him, so trusting. She glowed, and he couldn't help but be aware of how her body felt warm and perfect in his arms. He had the urge to pull her in close, so her body was tucked against his.

Normal, he thought. She was an attractive woman, and more than that, he liked her personally. Of course he was attracted to her. Attracted enough that his eyes strayed to her lips.

He smiled, looking back up at her eyes and checking his libido. He wasn't about to make this awkward for her.

Some hours later, he hid a smile, watching her as the limo carried them towards her house. Her look was dreamy and serene. He wondered if she realized she was humming "I Could Have Danced All Night."

"Did you have a good time?" he asked as he walked her to her door.

"I really did." She turned her face up to the cool air, still smiling. "I didn't think I would like it this much. I thought, well…" She looked at him, slightly guilty.

"You can tell me."

"I thought it was going to be pretentious."

He laughed. "Well, it was. But pretentious can be fun when you don't live in it. You know?"

"Just visiting pretentiousness." She huffed, sounding amused. "I know you would have rather been with Tanya, but I hope it was good for you too."

"I like you, Bella. Spending time with you is never a chore."

They stopped in front of her door, and Bella sighed, shaking her head. "They waited up. They're going to pounce on me." She turned to him with a smile. "Thank you for tonight. It was...grand." She laughed at the word, the sound buoyant and happy as he felt.

She looked so lovely, bathed in the moonlight and the porch light. On impulse, he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Thank you, Bella."

Then he stepped back, watching as she disappeared behind her door.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight**

 **I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing**

 **I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side**

 **And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away**

 **And I have never had such a feeling**

 **Such a feeling of complete and utter...like.**

 ***cough***


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: The song I quoted at the end of last chapter was the the one I mentioned E/B dancing to: Lady in Red by** **Chris De Burgh**

 **Annnnd...this one is I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady**

 **I'll never know what made it so exciting**

 **Why all at once my heart took flight**

 **I only know when he began to dance with me**

 **I could have danced, danced, danced all night**

* * *

Bella woke up in a fabulous mood.

The sun was shining. She turned her head to look at her closet door where her dress hung. Before she could help it, a wide, ridiculous grin spread over her face. It was such a gorgeous dress. Looking at herself in the mirror, with her hair and makeup done, she couldn't bring herself to believe it was real. It had to be a dream. Bella was no princess, nor had she ever wanted to be.

It had taken all of Alice's reasoning, pleading, demanding, and finally, her calling Tanya to even get Bella to try the thing on.

Bella, who loved her pants and jeans. Bella who didn't do fancy. Bella, who hated the color pink and had no idea what fabric any of the dresses in that overwhelming shop were made of. She tried the dress on and fell in love with it.

She didn't quite feel like herself in that dress, but not in a bad way. It was one of those curious moments in life where she knew she was doing something incredible, something out of the ordinary.

Seeing Edward at the bottom of the stairs had only cemented that feeling for her. She'd often thought that men's fashion was monotonous. How many variations of suits could there possibly be? Turned out, what she was missing was the way he wore it. The sight of him stole her breath. She understood now why women seemed to fall at James Bond's feet. If the fictional secret agent was supposed to look half as good as Edward actually looked, well…

There was a hint of danger about a man who looked as good, smelled as good, and smiled like Edward. He was smooth and confident. He held her steady when she needed the support, and stood back when he knew she had a handle on the situation.

Then, the dancing.

It had always seemed like such a silly idea. Moving around a dance floor in time to music. Why was that supposed to be fun?

Fun wasn't the right word. She'd never had a feeling quite like that. It was a kind of focus; a wonderful kind of focus. The way Edward looked at her had done funny things to her blood—made her too warm and sent chills down her spine at the same time. His eyes were on her every moment. She'd been so in tune with his body. With her hands on him, following where he led, stepping with him. It was…

Well, hell. It was magical. The whole night was like that—surreal and magical. And Bella was in too good of a mood to chastise herself for being so mystical about it. She got out of bed, humming to herself as she pulled on a tank top to match the shorts she slept in.

Jake and Embry were already up, being gross. Jake was making breakfast in three different pans on the stove. Embry stood behind him, his arms wrapped around his waist. He murmured something in Jake's ear, making him laugh and turn his head to catch a kiss.

Grinning wickedly, Bella crept forward. She pulled the kitchen chair back, dragging it across the floor so it made a horrible noise. They both swung around, guiltily. Bella rested her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "You two are sickening," she said sweetly.

Jake smirked and turned back to the stove. Embry leaned against the counter, facing Bella. "Someone's chipper this morning."

Bella shrugged. "I smell bacon."

Embry huffed. "Girl, you still have your head in the clouds. Haven't come down from last night, have you?"

Another shrug. "It was a good night."

She leaned back in her seat, arms propped behind her head, humming to herself again. Her mind wandered, and she found herself replaying an amusing anecdote Edward had told the night before. She chuckled all over again.

"Jeez, what did they spike the punch with at that party?" Embry asked, looking amused.

"There was wine. Lots of wine," she said, going back to humming.

"Okay, Eliza."

Bella quirked an eyebrow. "Eliza?"

"That song you're humming is from _My Fair Lady,_ isn't it?"

Bella considered for a moment. "Is it? I guess it is." She snorted. "Makes sense. Clean up a flower girl and make everyone believe she's a princess."

"You did look great last night, Bells." Jacob handed a plate stacked high with pancakes to Embry. "You always look great, but you could have given Audrey Hepburn a run for her money."

"Hey, let's not go too far. Audrey was a queen."

"Preach," Embry said, coming around to her side of the table. He leaned over her to put the pancakes down. "Now there was an elegant lady. She—"

Bella craned her head to see why Embry had stopped. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw he was staring at her. "What?"

His eyes darted up to her. His lips quirked up and down as though he found something really funny. He waggled a finger at her. "Bella Swan. You haven't told us everything that happened last night, have you?"

Now, Bella was really confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you leave out something important? Think hard now."

"Embry, I really don't know what you're talking about."

His wide grin fell. Jacob, his eyes on his boyfriend, came over to their side of the table. He set down a plate of bacon and another of eggs. Bella turned, distracted by the proximity of the food.

"What are you on about, babe?" Jacob asked, going to stand by Embry. "You— Oh. Oh, shit."

Bella twisted around in her seat. Embry was looking at her uncertainly now. Jake was looking downright horrified. Bella paused, bacon halfway to her mouth. An uneasy feeling had begun to curl in her stomach. "What? What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

"Hold on," Jake said. He darted off in the direction of the bathroom and reappeared seconds later with the two largest hand mirrors they collectively owned. He handed one to Bella, and then got behind her. He swallowed hard. "Okay. Look."

Confused, Bella lifted the mirror as she knew he wanted to. Possibilities flipped through her mind. Did she have a spider on her back? Why wouldn't he have just flicked it away? She didn't want to see something like that. It would scar her for life.

When Bella found what Jake wanted to show her, she gasped and dropped the mirror. She jumped when it landed, cracking down the center. She reached behind her, pressing her palm over her right shoulder blade.

She couldn't feel it. Of course she couldn't feel it. At least, not with her fingertips. But somehow, she had the odd sensation that it burned.

"Who's got a flame tattoo, Bella?" Jake asked softly.

Her mind, working seconds too slow, had just processed what she didn't want to accept.

There was a tattoo on her upper back. A familiar one. One she'd seen on Tanya everytime she wore her hair up or tucked it behind her ear. A tattoo she knew now for certain had to be Edward's. Of course it had to be.

Bella's head swam. She broke out in a cold sweat, and her face went clammy. The sickening way her stomach lurched had her up out of her chair, running for the bathroom.

By the time she got there, she knew she wasn't going to throw up. She slammed the door shut, already ripping her tank up and off. She turned with her back to the long bathroom mirror and twisted around, hoping against hope it wouldn't be there.

It was. The tattoo was about the size of her palm, positioned almost perfectly on her shoulder blade. She gave a soft cry, turning and catching herself on the lip of the counter. "Oh, god," she whispered. "Oh, no."

Now that she saw it, she couldn't doubt it. Of course. It made sense.

How had she not noticed? Every other thought she had all night last night and all that morning was of Edward. Magical, she'd thought. The night was magical.

How had it escaped her that she was thinking of Edward's smile? Thinking of how effortlessly he owned the table when he talked. Thinking of the way he looked at only her when they danced. Thinking of descending the stairs on his arm, a princess with her prince.

 _Her_ prince.

She clapped a hand over her mouth.

No. There was nothing really specific to the event that had been magical. She'd felt foolish in her dress, and hadn't really let herself acknowledge that owning something so elegant secretly pleased her until Edward had looked on her with genuine admiration. It wasn't until then that she'd let herself be carried away by the fantasy of it all.

All that night, hadn't she sat by his side, watching him and thinking how clever he was or how kind? And good god, yes. So beautiful.

Now that she thought about it, she realized she knew far too many details about Edward Cullen. She knew the difference between his polite smile and his secretive one. She knew his expressions—sarcastic, intrigued, amused, impatient. She had a whole catalog of expressions in her mind. And even in the midst of her rising panic, her heart ached with an intense emotion just thinking about him.

Bella tried to distract herself. She pulled her robe off the hook, and wrapped it around herself as though hiding it would make it disappear. No such luck. The skin of her back felt like it was crawling. The mark was almost a violation—unwelcome, marring her as she slept.

She stared at herself in the mirror, took in the wide-eyed, frightened girl who looked back at her. Oh, god. It was true. She was in love—a love that felt like it was a physical part of her, branded on her heart as well as her body.

She was in love, and it was terrible. She was terrible. She was in love with another woman's husband. Not just any woman; her mentor. A woman who was opening doors for Bella left and right. A woman who had put her trust in Bella. And Bella had repaid her kindness by falling in love with her husband.

Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor with her hands over her eyes. She knelt there, reeling, sucking in giant breaths of air.

Someone knocked on the door. "Bella, I'm coming in," Jake said.

Bella couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to. Her chest ached with the effort of trying to get enough air to her lungs. She couldn't even breathe, let alone talk.

"Okay, honey. It's going to be fine. I have you." Jake gathered her into his arms, tucking her against his broad chest. He held her and rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay."

He said the words over and over again. Minutes. Hours. She had no idea.

"It's going to be okay," Jake said, and she groaned.

"It's not. Jake, it's really not." She wasn't crying. She was too dizzy to cry. Too freaked out. She kept her head ducked against his chest, ashamed to look at him. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want this."

"I know you didn't. I know."

"I don't want to feel this," she whispered, helpless and desperate, into his chest.

She couldn't comprehend how this was possible. Yesterday, Edward was just a friend. She liked him. She liked him a lot. But she wasn't in love with him, and she wasn't trying to fall in love with him. He wasn't trying to charm her. He wasn't wooing her.

They were two friends who'd had a good time at a fancy dinner. They were two friends who'd shared a few laughs and stories like they always did.

So how could it be possible that this love had turned on like a switch being flipped? It was a consuming emotion, and a heavy one. Her every thought centered around him with a want Bella wouldn't have known how to name if it wasn't written on her skin.

She clawed at her chest as though she could rip it out of her. Love—it was a great and terrible thing.

"It's going to destroy me," she whispered, half-unaware she'd spoken it out loud.

Jake cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "It won't." He sighed. "But I know it feels that way. Believe me, I know that."

Of course he did. Love had cost Jake far too much. It had cost him his safety, his home, his father, his community.

"It's Edward, right?"

Bella nodded miserably.

He huffed. "Yeah. I was afraid of that. You spend so much time with him, and I could tell you liked him. You talk about him."

Bella groaned. Could she have caught this? Should she have seen it coming? Should she have known somehow? "I never thought of him that way. I swear. I swear." Her voice shook. She was close to tears now. She could feel them building into a torrent, but she didn't want to give into them. She felt bewilderingly certain if she started crying, she'd never be able to stop.

The thing was, she knew she was in for an incredible amount of pain. The split second after she'd realized this love for Edward existed, she'd realized just how hopeless it was. It was like learning there was an Edward shaped hole in her self and knowing with utter certainty it would never be filled. She was doomed to ache for him, burn for him, forever without the hope of relief.

That realization and all its implications sunk into her, hitting her bone deep. She wrapped her arms around Jacob's neck and hid her face against his shirt. She let go then and started to cry in sobs that shook her whole body with a violent intensity.

* * *

 **A/N: My prereaders put up with so much from me.**

 **SO, uh...Happy Easter?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Buckle up, kiddos. We've reached the bumpy ride portion of our story.**

* * *

Bella spent Saturday wallowing. Jacob did what he did best: he held her tightly, keeping her ensconced in his warmth.

"I think love is the best and worst thing in the world," Jacob said. "You know why it's the worst. You knew that Paul was an asshole from the first time you met him. You knew my attachment to him could never end well." He scoffed. "Hell, even I knew it wasn't a good idea.

"But the great thing about love is the way you get to see people." Jacob took a shuddering breath. "Thing is, even the worst asshole in the world has a good side. It's never an all or nothing thing. It doesn't excuse the asshole stuff. That's not what I'm saying.

"See, you never knew the great part of Paul. He was the way he was because of how he grew up. A lot of his asshole behavior was because he was afraid of what could happen." Jake scoffed. "With good reason. You saw what happened to me. Anyone would be terrified of that, so he was an asshole in an overblown attempt to cover up all his gay.

"But it wasn't all of him, and it wasn't who he wanted to be. I got to see that secret side of him. He was sweet. Maybe it was only for a couple hours at a time at most, but I saw a person worth being in love with for those hours.

"So because I got all of his sweetness and I understood why Paul the asshole existed, I forgave him for that part of himself. It wasn't going to work long term, and it wasn't healthy, but I don't regret that I knew him that way. The way no one else at the time got to."

Bella sniffled, snuggling into the crook of his arm. "Edward isn't an asshole."

"I know that, Bells. I'm just saying that's the upside. You know all the hundreds of people, probably thousands of people who pass him every week, they have no clue. They don't get to see what you see."

"Lucky me," Bella muttered, but despite herself, she smiled. Then she groaned. "I want to hate him right now."

"I know."

"You know everything," she snapped, hiding her head under the blankets.

"He thinks he does," said an overly cheerful voice.

Bella sighed. She was about to be tag-teamed.

Sure enough, Embry climbed into bed on her other side, facing her. He pulled her blanket down to see her face. "You wanna know a secret?" he asked.

"Not unless it's that you can erase that damn thing," Bella said.

"I can make it yours, you know."

Bella hesitated. It was strange how the idea made her angry and possessive.

Whenever she went to the bathroom—whenever she was alone at all—she ended up looking at the tattoo. Staring at it. There was some strange, misguided sense of pride that went with her devastation. There was a part of her that liked the idea of wearing his mark. It was a small part, but noisy in her head.

The voice that never let her forget, even for moments at a time, that she was in love with him.

"Yeah, I thought you might want to hold onto it," Embry said. He folded his hands under his chin, staring at her. "So, do you want to hear my secret or what?"

"Tell me."

"You know how Jake and I spent that incredible weekend together, what was it, three weeks after we met?"

Behind Bella, Jake huffed. She could feel the vibration of it against her back. Clearly, he knew what Embry was about to say. "I vaguely remember."

"I've had Jacob's mark on me since then."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Embry laughed and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah. Me. Mr. Love-is-overrated." His lips quirked down at the corner. "It was terrible. Loving him was terrible."

"Aw, thanks, babe. I love you too," Jake said, reaching over Bella to muss Embry's hair.

Embry grinned. "You know it was." He looked to Bella. "I knew I loved him right away, right after that weekend, but I didn't tell him. I couldn't tell him. You remember what he was like back then. He'd been burned too badly, too many times, and he was young."

"And you were younger," Jake said quietly.

"Yeah, I was a baby, ya damn perv. I should report your ass." Embry winked at Bella who gave him a vague smile. "So Jake wanted to play things fast and loose, remember? And I didn't want to be in love.

"Anyway, the point of the story is, it took us until three months ago to get our shit together, and I was in love all that time. It sucked hard donkey dick."

"You say that like you didn't like sucking my dick," Jake said, his tone innocent.

Embry reached across Bella and smacked Jake's ass. "Hey, shut up, horn dog. I'm trying to commiserate here." He looked back to Bella. "The point being, I wanted more than just the sex. I wanted everything, and every time he walked away, I got pulverized."

"And yet you kept seeing him," Bella said.

"Yeah." Embry laughed. "Love makes you masochistic. There's no getting around that."

"Are you going to tell him, Bells?" Jacob asked when they had all been silent for a while.

Bella shuddered. "No." It was the one thing she'd been certain of from the moment she realized what had happened. "What the hell good would come of that? He's married, Jake. To my boss. So what's the point? The best-case scenario is that I'd lose a friend, and make him uncomfortable whenever he visits his wife's office. The worst case scenario is he tells Tanya, and I lose a friend and my job and my prospects." She shook her head.

Jacob sighed and tightened his arms around her. "Being in the closet sucks."

"It's not the same thing."

"Being in the closet about love still sucks," Embry said.

Bella laughed wryly. "Yeah, well. That's my problem. I'm not going to make it his."

 _ **Edward~**_

Bella called in sick the Monday after the ball.

Edward was surprised at how much he missed her. His parents had raised him without a concept of boredom. He had a brain, therefore he could never be bored. And, except for a few mind-numbing classes when he was in school, he never was bored.

That Monday, though, he was antsy as hell. He sat on the couch in the anteroom, looking over at Bella's desk as though he might look up and find her there.

He guessed it was just that he'd been so looking forward to talking to her again after the Friday night they'd had. He found himself curious about a lot of things they hadn't talked about. Did she have a boyfriend or at least someone she dated? It seemed impossible to him that she wouldn't. She was lovely, intelligent, and funny. But wouldn't he—or she, whatever—have minded that she got dolled up for Edward? Let him take her to a fancy ball where they'd danced and danced? Edward thought he might have minded, but then again, why would he? It was a friend date, and nothing had happened. Tanya had been the one to set it up, after all.

"What does she have?" Edward asked his wife, sitting on the edge of her desk in his office. "Just a cold?"

"I didn't ask."

"Well, what did she say?"

Tanya made an exasperated noise and the click-clack of her keyboard cut off. "She said she was feeling under the weather. That's all."

"But she'll be back tomorrow."

"As far as I know." She huffed and chuckled. "You're always such a worrier. She's probably not even sick. Everyone needs a mental health day now and again. Look, can you maybe take a walk or something? Give me fifteen more minutes, and I'll be ready. I promise."

The next day, Edward took off work a little early when he texted Tanya and found out Bella had shown up to work that day. After a little prodding, she said that Bella seemed still fatigued—not her usual, energetic self. Edward decided a pick-me-up was called for.

He was happy to see Bella at her desk. When she looked up, he saw what Tanya meant. A strange, almost wary look came over her features. She didn't smile at him like she usually did.

"Hey, you." He set the box in his arms down on her desk.

"H-hey." Bella cleared her throat. "Hi. What's all this?"

"Moving in." He waggled his eyebrows and was rewarded with a twitch of her lips. "No, I brought dinner. I know your mother lives in Arizona, so I figured no one brought you soup when you were sick." He started to unload the box. Soup, bowls, spoons, crusty bread, crackers. "I called my mom for her recipe. I'm not as good as she is by a long shot, but it's edible. Maybe even tasty."

He stopped, noticing she was staring at him. He cocked his head. "What?"

"You made this for me?" Her voice was soft, as though he'd done something momentous.

Edward furrowed his brow. "Of course."

"From scratch?"

"Yeah. Everyone deserves a little homemade soup when they're feeling miserable."

She stared another moment and then sighed. "You really are that sweet, aren't you?"

Edward was amused. "How much cough medicine have you had today?"

Bella looked down at the desk, a sheepsh smile tugging at her lips. "It's just a label you're going to have to live with. You're a nice guy, Edward."

"Well, there goes my manly street cred." He settled in the seat across from her and began ladling soup into a bowl since she hadn't made a move to serve herself. "Maybe you'll have to rethink the sweet label. It wouldn't be so sweet if you died of food poisoning."

"There's always that possibility." She took an experimental taste and her eyebrows shot up. "No such luck for your street cred. This is delicious."

The door to Tanya's office opened, and Bella straightened up. She had a strange look on her face as she looked over at Tanya. If Edward didn't know any better, he might have called it guilt, but for what? Her cheeks had flushed red. He wondered if she had a fever.

"Something smells good out here," Tanya said, sitting in the seat next to him.

"I was about to bring you some," Edward said, ladling soup into a bowl for his wife.

She smiled. "Oh, soup. Looks good." She looked at Bella and grinned. "Hey, did Edward tell you?"

Bella, who had been looking studiously into her soup bowl, looked up, her eyes darting from Tanya, to Edward, back to Tanya. "Tell me what?"

"I wanted to make it up to Edward—missing the ball, I mean. We're going next weekend to Hawaii."

Edward chuckled. "She's even going to take Friday off, supposedly." He made a mock-shocked face.

"I am," Tanya insisted. "I knew I forgot something. We need to talk about what needs to get done before then," she said to Bella.

Bella, who had been flushed a few minutes before, now looked pale and sickly. "Oh. Okay." She took a deep breath and managed a wan smile. "That's great. Yeah, what do we need to do?"

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Edward asked, concerned. "You look exhausted, Bella."

"I'm fine," she said, unconvincingly as far as Edward was concerned. She looked to Tanya. "Tell me what you need."

* * *

 **A/N: Many thanks to Mina, Packy 2.0, songster, MoH, and Barburella for all their yelling. It makes me cackle a bit.**

 **How we doing out there, kids? Getting a bit rocky in this boat, eh?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Just a reminder that in the timeline of the story, the following chapter happens about a week after the ball.**

* * *

 _ **~Bella~**_

"I needed you today. No one else understands my need for all the wine."

Alice refilled Bella's glass with a generous amount. "If ever a situation called for the application of copious quantities, it's this one." She refilled her own glass and held it up. "Unrequited love and too much wine go together."

Bella clinked their glasses together. "A-fucking-men."

"Fucking men is exactly why we're in this mess," Alice said, sighing dramatically.

Cheered by her friend's theatrics and the alcohol, Bella giggled. "Or not fucking men, as it were." They both cackled.

Then, Bella sighed, taking a sip of the wine. "Or is it I'm in this mess because a man has the audacity to fuck his wife?"

"Hey, you don't know that they're fucking."

Bella leveled a glare at Alice.

"What? You don't. They've been married since they were in diapers." Alice tittered at herself. "It's not exactly atypical for the fire to go out."

Bella took a huge gulp of her wine. When that wasn't enough, she took another. She stared down at her mostly empty glass, somewhat morose. "If the fire went out, Tanya is looking to stoke it again." She polished off the wine. "She had me book everything, you know."

Alice arched an eyebrow in question.

"She told me what she was looking for. Intimate, romantic bungalow. Not a hotel, a bungalow." Bella laughed without humor. She reached out and grabbed the wine bottle. "I researched the best rated spots for honeymooners and lovers. I researched romantic restaurants and tours."

"You planned their whole weekend, didn't you?" Alice asked, sounding sad.

"Like I plan everything else for her." She inhaled, trying to steady her pounding heartbeat. "You know how fucked up it was? All week long, I kept waiting for her to cancel the trip. Or better yet, send me like she did with the ball." She giggled.

"Bella." Alice reached across and patted her knee. "You need another job."

"Yeah, right."

"I know it's not the best thing for your career—"

"It's career suicide." Her stomach roiled a bit as she thought it over for the thousandth time. "Tanya's incredibly well respected. Short of walking onto a job at one of the major publications, which isn't going to happen by the way, I couldn't get a better job. And what the hell am I going to say? I can't exactly tell them I had to leave because I fell in love with my boss's husband.

"And why the hell should I give that up anyway? I worked hard to get here. I deserve this chance. I deserve the doors working for her is going to open. Why should I give it up just because Cupid and his damn tattoo gun were gunning for me?" She made a disgusted sound. "I always hated the idea of these fucking tattoos." In spite of her best efforts, her eyes filled with tears. "You know, I was fine before. How long would it have taken me to realize I was in love with him if it wasn't for that fucking tattoo? I didn't know what it felt like. I've admired people before. I've adored Jake since we were kids. What I feel for him and you—those are strong emotions, you know? So how would I have known what I felt for Edward was different? I wasn't thinking about it before, and now it's all I think about.

"I'm just...so mixed up, Alice. Everything is all fucked up. I like Tanya. I admire her. She's who I want to be when I grow up, professionally, anyway. But it's not like I was oblivious to how she treated Edward before. I thought it was sad, but it was none of my business. I heard them fight about it." She swallowed hard. "And then she would say something, do something, to make up for it. Like this. She gives him just enough to keep him complacent, and…"

Bella bowed her head. "See? I'm just angry now. At her. I can't stand the way she treats him, and I can't stop thinking about that either. I can't stop thinking about the fact that I want a career like hers, but I could take care of Edward so much better. I _do_ take care of him. I'm the one who spends time with him after work. I just want it to go back to how it was before. I want my mentor back, and I want to enjoy my friend again. Ugh." She scrubbed at her eyes. "This is so much fucking drama. I didn't ask for this shit."

"That's when it hits us, isn't it?" Alice said, rubbing her shoulder. "When we're not looking."

"Yeah." Bella sniffled and swiped at her eyes. "Fuck. I'm so emo right now. It must be the wine. It makes me emo."

"The boy makes you emo."

"Oh, right. Him. He's a bastard." She grimaced. "This is so dumb. I shouldn't even care. I'm disgusting myself."

"Well, I guess that happens when you plan a romantic getaway with the man you love and then send him away with his wife." Alice swatted Bella's hand away from the wine bottle. "I think we've had enough of that. This situation calls for ice cream and/or copious quantities of cookie dough."

Bella sniffled again and snorted. "Cookie dough? Like, raw cookie dough?"

"Obviously."

"We're too drunk to go buy cookie dough." Bella pouted.

"That's what boyfriends are for." Alice took her phone out of her pocket.

"I don't have a fucking boyfriend," Bella muttered, swiping at the wine bottle anyway.

"Bullshit," Alice said with a snort. "You have two of them. It's just that they fuck each other and not you."

"Oh, must it always come back to sex?"

They both giggled. Bella cocked her head. "I've decided they're not going to have sex while they're there."

"Oh, no?"

"No. Tanya is going to do that thing she does where she'll be working on some report—you know damn well she brought her laptop with her. And she'll be like, 'fifteen minutes, honey, I swear. I promise.' And then, when she's finally done forty-five minutes later, he'll be asleep." Bella threw her hands up, satisfied with herself.

"Honestly, Bella, from everything you've told me, that sounds pretty fucking accurate." Alice put a finger to her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Divining the future of course. Hmm." Alice nodded. "Nope. You're right. No sex for them."

"Good. I'm glad we settled that. Now, where is your boyfriend with the cookie dough?"

 _ **~Edward~**_

"I got you something."

"Gah!" Bella jumped in her seat when Edward set the tiki totem on her desk.

Edward laughed. They weren't exactly ugly, but the face, carved into the polished wood, was fierce. He wouldn't want to run into a face like that in the dark; that was for sure. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's big." She ran her hands over the smooth lines of the face, the bared teeth.

"It's not that big. Just not the cheesy five inch ones you can find at the airport." He made a face of distaste. "Besides, this one made me think of you."

She looked up at him, her lips wrinkled in a bemused smile. "Gee. Thanks."

"Not in looks, genius." He tapped the totem. "It's a love and happiness totem."

He thought he saw her cheek twitch. Her laugh was off somehow. A beat too slow.

"Hey." He touched her shoulder, wondering now if he'd stuck his foot in his mouth with the gift. "It's not like I think you need a totem to get a date or anything like that. It's just that the other totems were all about wealth, success—you're already a shoo-in for the whole success thing, and success usually pays well, so screw that." He tilted his head, leaning in a bit and teasing her. "I'm assuming a fertility totem wouldn't be very well received."

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away with a huff. "Well, you have to be having sex to get pregnant, I hear." The flush of her cheeks deepened, and she coughed into her hand. "But yeah, no. Now's not a good time."

"Exactly. But who couldn't use a good luck charm for happiness, huh?" He shrugged easily. "And if love comes with it, all the better."

She picked the totem up, studying it more carefully. "You thought of me while you were in Hawaii," she said in a distracted tone.

Edward rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled to hide his sudden twinge of guilt.

He'd thought of her. He'd thought of her more often than he should have. Especially one night when Tanya had left him alone at the dinner table so she could talk to one of her reporters. Or an ad agency. Or a contact. Whatever. It happened often.

He'd watched the hula dancers, their graceful movements and swishing grass skirts, and thought of Bella. He thought of the curve of her hip under his hands and the sweep of her full skirt. He thought of her grin as she got caught up in the dance—the exhilaration and happiness on her face.

"Sure, I thought of you," he said, his voice gruffer than he intended. He swallowed. "It's just a token." He laughed at his own cheesiness. "A token totem. You put a lot of work into the plans. It was the least we could do."

"We," she said, so softly he might have imagined it.

"Tanya and me, of course."

Tanya had no idea he'd bought the thing, but he was sure she wouldn't mind. He'd picked out the gifts for their close friends and family, after all. Why wouldn't this be different? He hadn't given it to her when she walked into work that morning because he'd wanted to be the one to give it to Bella, that was all.

She kept her eyes on the totem a beat longer before she looked at him and then rolled her eyes. "No, really? You and Tanya. I thought you meant you and Pele, goddess of the island."

"Ah, no. Didn't run into her."

"Too bad." She smiled at him. "Tell me you got Tanya to visit one of the supernatural sights?"

Hawaii was well known amongst ghost hunters as being rife with supernatural activity. He and Bella—both on the 'entertaining the idea but not quite believing it' boat when it came to supernatural activity—had talked about it extensively before he left on his trip.

He leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. "I managed to sneak a couple of them in. Tanya had to check in on the London deal once, and I went to the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. I didn't hear any battle cries, but that painting of Queen Liliuokalani…"

She leaned forward across the desk, her face eager and fascinated. "Was it as creepy as it sounded? Did it glare at you?"

"Glare isn't the right word, but it's unsettling."

She shivered. "Gives me the creepy crawlies."

"Yeah, some places on the island do feel a little eerie sometimes. Especially at night."

"Well, if you have to walk by things like this, I can see why," she said, picking up her totem.

"Hey, I can take it back if you don't like it," he said, teasing her.

She furrowed her brow and clutched the totem to her chest. "Hell no. I need it to attract a man so I don't have to walk the eerie Hawaiian islands alone."

He huffed. "Oh, I don't know, Bella. I think you could kick the ass of anything that came your way—demon or otherwise."

She smirked and then shivered. "Ack. Now I'm thinking about demons and my skin feels creepy crawly again." She chafed her arms. "Come on. What do you say we distract ourselves with the next episode of _Supernatural_?"

"See, that's what I like about you, Bella. You always make perfect, rational sense."

* * *

 **A/N: Bear with me, folks. There are some bends in the road ahead. I promise I'll get back to my other stories this week. I'm just really excited about where we're going with this one.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: My spikey anons might like this chappy. I'm js.**

* * *

 _ **~Bella~**_

"What are you going to do?" Jake tucked her under his arm. "It's hard to see you struggling like this."

Bella huffed. She raised her head and offered her friend a smile. "Now you know how I felt watching you." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes around the painful ache in her chest. "I'm going to do the same thing you did. It gets better after time."

"Yeah, Bells, but you're forgetting one thing."

"What's that?"

"I only got over them _after_ they were gone."

 _ **~Edward~**_

It could have been Edward's imagination, but in the weeks following the ball, he thought Bella started to act a little strange.

The change was subtle, and he couldn't figure it out. They'd been so at ease together almost from the start, yet, after the ball, she seemed almost distant whenever he first walked in the door. There were a few minutes of awkwardness—she was shy, jumpy, or distracted. Sometimes, there was a look in her eyes Edward couldn't figure out.

He couldn't put his finger on what, but something had changed.

Always, before he could dwell on it, the awkwardness would fade away. She relaxed, and everything was normal between them. He liked Bella. A lot. Waiting hours for his wife most days of the week should have been a chore—a major sacrifice of his personal time and energy. Strangely, it wasn't. In fact, on the rare occasions when Tanya was actually ready to go home on time, Edward could admit to himself that he was disappointed. He looked forward to watching TV with Bella, and the conversations that always followed.

Bella reminded him a lot of the parts of Tanya he admired. He truly did enjoy his wife's passion for her work—a passion Bella shared—and her dedication. He simply thought she took it too far at times. He understood why. When it involved work, she felt like the world was going to end if she didn't settle whatever was going on right that very moment. There were times when Edward was able to coax or guilt Tanya into leaving work unfinished or delegating, but she spent the time distracted, glancing at her phone and only half participating in conversation.

So far, Bella seemed to have a better balance. She was passionate and committed, but it wasn't the only thing in her life. He'd spent a few days last week helping her orchestrate a surprise birthday party for her best friend—the guy who'd been great with Edward, his brother, and his father at the race track. Edward was more than happy to return the favor, pulling a few strings to get him baseball tickets in the suite where he could meet the team.

Edward liked how excited Bella got, doing things for her friends. There was a tenderness in the way she spoke about them. She was a woman who clearly loved the people she surrounded herself with. It made him feel special to be considered among that number.

Still, she was dedicated to her work, and didn't hesitate to tell him when she needed a minute.

Since it was summer and almost everything was on hiatus, they'd taken to watching documentaries on Netflix. They'd just settled down to a debate about their guilt, after watching _Blackfish_ , over how much they enjoyed Seaworld, when the intercom crackled to life.

"Bella, I need you in here," Tanya said, sounding frazzled.

Bella shot Edward an apologetic look before she disappeared into Tanya's office. Edward settled in to wait on both of them, but it was only a few minutes before Bella reappeared looking ashen.

"I believe in you. Go get 'em, girl," Tanya called, and that seemed to bolster Bella's courage.

Edward got to his feet, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She ran a hand through her hair. "Look, Tanya's going to be another hour at least. Do you think you could do me a favor?" She took a deep breath. "Long story really short, we're running a piece on childcare for working parents. The woman we interviewed originally just got shut down, and is under investigation because she taped a baby's pacifier to her mouth."

"Oh, that's horrible."

"Pretty much negates everything we're trying to say and everything she said in her interview about love and compassion." Bella shook her head. "We're lucky that it happened before the piece ran, but it's also, of course, one step away from disaster. The original reporter is unavailable. If this story isn't up on the site in two and a half hours, we miss a major chance for solid traffic. Tanya already did the work of finding a replacement interview who's willing to be seen tonight." She took a deep breath, the look in her eyes gone hectic. "Tanya wants me to interview her. I agreed, obviously, but I could use a ride, if you're willing. I need a little time to prepare and research."

Edward nodded. "Let's go."

 _ **~0~**_

In all the years they'd been together, Edward had never really seen Tanya at work. Even when he happened to be around when she was in reporter mode, she asked him to stay behind or stay out of the way.

Not so with Bella. The drive to the interviewee's house was quiet, save for the tip-tap of Bella on her tablet and the mechanical voice of the GPS calling out directions. She dragged him with her into the interviewee's house, so he was able to watch her in action.

She was brilliant. Despite her nervousness, she was cool and collected, putting the nervous interviewee at ease. It was a somewhat touchy subject—the idea that a daycare worker could become an important part of a child's life; that, while they might not be family, a child could still experience love and tenderness while their parents were at work.

On the way back, Bella narrated what she was doing as she tapped at her tablet.

"The article is already written, of course. So I have to replace the old interview with the new interview. Except this lady obviously didn't say exactly the same thing, right? So I have to smooth it all over so it sounds like only one person wrote it."

To his surprise, she gave a squeak of pleasure. "I'm sorry. I'm just so stoked right now. It's so cool of Tanya to give me this assignment. I love my field, Edward. I just love it."

He glanced at her, and he couldn't help his smile. She was glowing, her grin wide and her eyes bright with excitement. "What do you love so much?" he asked, and prepared to be brushed off. Whenever he asked Tanya what she loved, she claimed he wouldn't understand, and it would frustrate her to try to explain it.

Bella looked thoughtful. After a minute, she said, "Everything. I love it all. When I was in junior high and first joined my school paper, my teacher taught us to tell the story of a war, you need to tell the story of one soldier. That's where it starts. Finding the angle. That's where the impact is.

"Like in this case. I can hit you all day with facts and evidence from years upon years of research that there are advantages to being the child of working parents. I can cite studies and statistics, but that's all cold data. This isn't." She waved vaguely in the direction they'd come from, indicating the daycare worker. "You listen to this woman tell stories of kids who are comfortable and happy even away from their parents, and you begin to humanize all that data. You tell the story of this woman who loves the children in her care. Not like a parent, but she loves them. She wants to see them cared for, wants to see them learn and grow. There's power in telling her story."

She sighed happily, looking back to her tablet. "Then, there's everything else. Finding the exact right words to make the article flow, to weave together your data and your interviews in a compelling way. There's the pressure. There's always a deadline, and something will always go wrong. It's a little bit of a thrill." She shrugged. "I don't know. I love it."

It was just one of those moments where you see a person clearly. She was lovely in her excitement, and Edward was touched that she'd taken the time to share that piece of herself. Of course, that was Bella. She was warm and giving, especially with her friends. She was a passionate woman.

He was still replaying the giddy look on her face, the energy that bounced off her, when he and Tanya finally got home that evening. The whole thing had put him in a good mood. Watching her at work had made him oddly happy.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said to his wife.

Tanya nodded. "You do that. I'll scrounge up something for dinner."

"Do you want me to help?"

"No. I have it." She waved a hand at him. "Go on. I know you want to relax."

He was humming to himself as he undid the buttons of his shirt. He closed his eyes, stretching after a long day. He opened his eyes, glancing into the bathroom mirror, and then yelped—the noise startled and strangled as it left him. His breath whooshed out as though he'd been punched in the gut, and he stared, wide-eyed, at his reflection. Or rather, as he stared at the reflection of his chest and the large, winding vine tattoo right over his heart.

* * *

 **A/N: Many thanks to my prereaders as per usual!**

 **Yes. You can have another chapter sooner than later. I'm WAY too excitable about this damn fic… Will Tanya walk in right then and there? Will he try to hide the tattoo with concealer? Will he insist on never taking his shirt off again? The world may never know.**

 **Oh, wait. I literally just promised I'd write the next chapter sooner than later, huh?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I know the updates are short, but you're getting like a thousand of them every other day or so… Forgive me!**

 **Oh. Confused anon, Edward does have Tanya's tattoo. It's on his back. We spoke about it in chapter…uh…four?**

* * *

 _ **~Bella~**_

Edward had been acting weird the last few days. He was withdrawn and distracted—far too quiet. They'd gotten through more actual documentary viewing because there was much less conversation. Something was wrong. She thought she read sadness and something that approached despair written on his face. It made her heart ache, but when she asked, he always said nothing was wrong; he just had a lot on his mind.

More than once, Bella caught Edward staring. He seemed to be shameless about it. When she asked, "What is it?" He just replied that it was nothing and looked away. Always, there was a curious, if pained, expression on his face when he stared.

Bella gave him space. She stopped calling attention to the long stretches of silence and his unusually clipped answers when they discussed what they'd watched. She always had plenty to do, so she would busy herself with her work on the opposite end of the couch as they watched, pretending she wasn't glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

By Friday, Bella couldn't concentrate. She was downright worried about him. The sadness and strangeness had become a physical presence all around him, like it had formed a barrier between them, and she couldn't stand it. Still, she didn't know how to press. She couldn't keep nagging him to tell her what was wrong.

She put down her laptop and picked up a notepad, doodling idly and catching only every other minute or so of the documentary they were watching about the war on drugs in America. Normally, she would have been fascinated, but she was consumed by Edward. She'd asked Tanya a few subtle questions, trying to figure out if someone in his family was sick or if he was having problems at work.

Bella was so distracted by the conundrum that she didn't notice when Edward scooted closer until he was close enough to see what she was doodling. She knew that was what he was looking at; his eyes were riveted on the page. He reached out and ran the pad of his finger along the vine she'd drawn up the side of her page.

When his eyes met hers, Bella was struck breathless for reasons she couldn't put her finger on. It was as though a war was raging in the gold-specked green. She had no idea how to read that look, and even less idea why it made her nervous. Why did it feel like something huge was about to happen? Something that had the power to destroy one of them, but which one?

"This is your tattoo," he said, his voice quiet but not questioning.

She blinked. Whatever she'd been expecting, it wasn't that. "Yeah. How did you know that?"

He pressed his lips together looking down and away. It looked like he was gnawing the inside of his cheek, but she couldn't be sure. On instinct, she reached out and put her hand over his. "Edward, are you okay?"

His eyes flicked up to hers, and again, she was struck by a heavy, almost suffocating feeling of foreboding. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and took a deep breath. "I need to show you something."

Bella's furrowed brow shot up as he began to unbutton his shirt. She looked up at him. "What are you—"

Something in his eyes silenced her. She looked down and gasped.

She hadn't seen her unadulterated tattoo in years, but suddenly, there it was. Before she could think about what she was doing, she'd reached out and pressed her palm over his chest, almost by not quite covering the thing. She half expected to feel the thickness of makeup, but she didn't. It was real.

Realizing belatedly what she was doing, Bella made to pull her hand back. Before she could, Edward pressed his palm against hers over his chest. She looked back up into his stricken face, and the surprised elation that had welled in her was matched by a stark fear.

His lips worked a moment before he could find words. "You know, I've had this for four days, and my wife hasn't noticed that I started wearing shirts to bed."

Bella looked down, guilt slamming into her, adding to the a growing maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Yet her hand didn't slip from his chest, and his didn't move from hers. Her throat was tight. She still couldn't figure out a single word to say.

After another tense moment, Bella did move. She dropped her hand and turned her back. She moved her hair onto one shoulder, and, taking a steadying breath, shrugged out of the light sweater she'd worn over her sleeveless shirt. Most of his tattoo was visible on her shoulder she knew. She heard his quick intake of breath.

For seconds, she couldn't breathe. Her skin cried with an ache that could only be soothed by his touch. She tensed, and then let out a shuddering breath when she felt his hand on her shoulder, his fingers tracing the design she knew was there.

Bella closed her eyes, trapping a whimper before it could escape her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt the brush of his lips on the upper curve of her back and heard his ragged breath near her ear.

Right then, she knew without asking that if she were to turn in his arms, he would kiss her. Or she would kiss him. There was no doubt in her mind he would be willing. That was simple fact now. No more questions. Not only were they fact, but it seemed wrong not to follow what was quickly becoming a need.

Except…

Maybe it would have been different if he were someone else's husband. Her desire to taste his lips was the most intense pull she'd ever experienced. Everything in her was begging to give in, except that one small voice. Maybe if he was the only one responsible for his own relationship, but he wasn't. Tanya was her boss. Her _friend_ and Bella hadn't forgotten that either. She closed her eyes tighter. "Edward…"

"I know," he said, his voice quiet. His hold around her tightened just the slightest bit. "I swear I'm about to stop."

It was crazy for them to stay like this for even a moment longer. They weren't visible from Tanya's doorway, but if she appeared, it wasn't as though they'd have a lot of time to disentangle themselves. Bella had so many questions, but she spoke only one of them out loud.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

She felt his lips against her shoulder. "I don't know," he said. He turned his head and kissed her neck, sighed and let her go, moving to the opposite end of the couch.

Bella's mouth had gone dry. She was trembling so hard, she had to ball her hands into fists to even begin to calm down. The simultaneous sensation of giddy elation and cold despair had sent her into a surreal tailspin.

Beside her, Edward opened his mouth…

And shut it again as Tanya's door opened. Both Edward and Bella stood up.

"Done. Done. Done," Tanya said, sounding chipper. "I got everything done." She slung both her arms around Edward's neck and grinned at him. "I'm yours all weekend."

Bella's heart plummeted down to her shoes. For a horrible second, it felt as though she were going to throw up. She tried not to, but her eyes shot to Edward. He glanced at her and back to his wife, looking momentarily befuddled. "I…" He smiled at her—not a full smile. "That's good."

Tanya laid a quick smooch on him, and Bella thought for sure she was going to be sick. But the next instant, Tanya had bounced away. "I'm going to grab my bag, and then we can go. I think that Thai place is still open. How does that sound for dinner?" She called over her shoulder as she retreated into her office.

"Sounds good," Edward said, looking at Bella with horribly conflicted eyes as he spoke.

The second Tanya was out of earshot, Edward took a step toward Bella who took a step back. "Bella…" he started, but Tanya was back in an instant.

"Let's go," she said. Then, she flashed a grin at Bella. "Thanks for all your hard work this week. Try to have some fun this weekend, okay?"

"I...Yeah." Bella cleared her throat. "Yeah. Thanks. You too." She almost winced with those words.

"Are you going to walk out with us?" Tanya asked.

Bella shook her head. "No, I, um..." She swallowed hard, looking toward her desk. "I think there's an e-mail I forgot to send. I'm going to check, and then I'll go."

"Okay. See you next week."

Bella could tell Edward was trying to catch her eyes, but she studiously ignored him. He sighed again. "I'll see you, Bella," he said, and she wondered if Tanya could tell the way she could that there were was so much written between the lines of those four simple words.

What he wanted to say, though, Bella couldn't even begin to guess. She held her breath, some pathetic part of her wanting so much for Edward to tell his wife to forget it, that he was staying with her. It was a ridiculous thing to think; impossible for so many reasons, yet somehow, the further his footsteps got from her, the more her heart broke.

When she heard the elevator shut, Bella sank back down onto the couch. She covered her face with her hands, not crying, simply shaking.

What the hell was going to happen now?

* * *

 **A/N: I think I'll do two more chapters before I decide to return to my regular schedule of updates...maybe. I don't even know. This fic is so awesome to write. And I love the way you guys respond to it.**

 **OH. And as per usual...don't assume!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Less than twenty-four hours? Yikes. That's a record for me.**

* * *

For the first time in his life, Edward lied to his wife about where he was going. He wondered if it was some kind of irony that the only excuse he could think of was he had a fire to put out at work.

Instead of going to work, Edward called his big brother. "Hey, can you meet me at the diner around the corner from your house?"

Emmett was agreeable. He was somewhat dubious when Edward asked him not to bring Rosalie, but he was a good big brother. He was always there when Edward needed him.

"Whoa. Bro. What's up?" Emmett asked, sliding into the booth across from him. "You look all kinds of fucked up."

Edward ran a hand both of his hands through his hair and gripped, pulling hard. "I, uh…" He took a deep breath and let it out again. "I think my marriage is over."

Emmett's eyes about bulged out of his head. "What the fuck happened? Did Tanya kick you out, dude?"

"No. No." He closed his eyes and laughed without a trace of humor. "She doesn't know."

"Uhh. Okay. So did you have a fight?"

Edward shook his head slowly and ran a hand over his eyes. "No. In fact, last night should have been a really great night. Tanya was in a good mood, and she was present, you know? She was there with me. And I…" His throat was so tight, he couldn't speak.

When she started to kiss him, he'd turned away. He'd made an excuse—dinner had hit him the wrong way, and he just wanted to sleep.

Edward looked up at his brother. "I'm in love with someone else."

Emmett's eyes popped so wide, he should have looked comical. His mouth fell open. "Dude. You're having an affair?"

" _No_." He put both elbows on the table, leaning in. "It's not that. It's just…" He huffed. "She was my friend and then she was...everything. From one minute to the next. It wasn't a romantic thing. I swear I wasn't looking at her like that at all."

Emmett's shocked expression had settled into something more serious. "It's that Bella person, right?"

"Is it that obvious?" Edward asked with a grimace.

"Well, yeah. You spend like almost every night with that chick."

"With my wife in the next room."

Emmett raised his hands in a placating motion. "Hey, you're the one who said you weren't looking at Bella like that. So obviously, it wouldn't matter that Tanya was in the next room. What matters is, you were spending time with an awesome woman, right? From what you said?"

Edward slumped and sighed. "Bella's amazing," he muttered, half to himself.

Both brothers sat back in their seat when the waiter came. They ordered—Edward wasn't even remotely hungry, but they needed some excuse to be there.

When the waiter walked away, Emmett leaned in again. "So you want out of your marriage because you want to start something with the Bella girl?"

"God. That sounds fucking horrible." Edward rubbed hard at the back of his neck. "I don't know, Emmett. It's been five days now since I figured out how I feel about Bella. And I think…" He swallowed hard. "I need you to tell me what I think you and Mom and everyone have been trying to tell me for years now."

 _ **~0~**_

After talking with Emmett, Edward took the rest of the weekend to make sure he really understood what he was about to do.

He'd been married since he was eighteen years old—all of his adult life. He didn't hate his wife by any stretch of the imagination. He wasn't miserable. They weren't arguing every other minute. She hadn't cheated on him. She wasn't cruel to him, and most of all, he hated, _hated,_ the idea he was going to hurt her. It went against everything in him to hurt any woman, but his wife...a woman he'd sworn to love and protect for the rest of his life?

That Monday morning, he drove Tanya to work as usual. He didn't really know why he chose to do it then. It was early. Tanya wanted to be in that morning at six-thirty—before most of her employees were there. Edward supposed he didn't want to taint their home with what he was about to do. He wanted their home to only have happy memories; no marriage ending argument.

"Thanks for taking me so early," Tanya said with a yawn as they pulled into the parking structure. "What on earth are you going to do for the next hour?"

Edward gripped the steering wheel, trying to tamp down the feeling he was about to be violently ill. She had no idea, and he wished like hell this wasn't happening. For the millionth time, he went over every reason in his head. He closed his eyes and let go of the steering wheel. "I'm coming up with you for a minute."

"Oh." Something in Tanya's eyes dimmed. "Honey, you know how I am on a Monday morning. I'm not going to have any time to pay attention to you."

That helped. A little. A very little. Edward got out of the car. "We need to talk."

A shadow came over Tanya's face. She studied him for a long moment. It took all of his strength to keep looking her in the eyes. She laughed, the sound nervous. "Uh oh. Should I be worried?"

His heart ached. "Let's just go to your office, huh?"

It was a terrible, awkward, silent ride up in the elevator. Edward had broken out in a cold sweat of dread. Past the point of no return, he thought dryly as they ascended. Closer and closer to the end of life as he knew it.

Still silent, they made their way to Tanya's office. She sat down at her desk, and he sat across from her. "Okay," she said. "You're scaring the hell out of me. What the hell is going on, Edward?"

He breathed in through his nose and looked up. "I want a divorce, T," he said, his tone only a decibel above a whisper.

He forced himself to watch the fall out of his words. He saw incomprehension cross her face first, fading quickly into shock and then horror. "I...what?"

"We planned our whole lives out when we were seventeen." He was surprised at how calm he sounded. "I guess I just think it's time one of us admits…" He pressed his lips together. "It wasn't a mistake. I'm not going to call it a mistake, because it wasn't. My love for you was honest, and our intentions were good. But we were dumb kids. We had no idea who the hell we would be."

"And who the hell are you?" She crossed her arms defensively, staring across at him. "Jesus Christ, Edward. Where the hell is this coming from?"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me we're a good couple."

She looked him in the eyes. "We're a good couple." Her eyes shone bright with tears, the pain in them twisting his heart. "Edward, why are you doing this?"

"We want different things, different lives. Think about it, Tanya. Can you really tell me I'm not a burden to you? Don't you want to be free of any obligation to me? No one bugging you to come home on time. No one wanting you to go to family dinners and birthdays. No more of my mother and Rosalie giving you that look you hate."

Tanya slammed her palm on the desk and stood up, turning away from him. "Don't make this about me. I'm not the unhappy one. You...you..you can't play it like this. You can't expect me to guess you're this unhappy, and then not give me a chance to fix it."

"This shouldn't be a surprise," he said, mildly incredulous. "This is the fight we've been having for almost our entire marriage. Tanya, I know you love me. And I love you. But you love this job more. I'm not your priority. I'm not sure I ever have been."

"So this is my fault? Is that what you're saying?"

"No. I meant what I said before. Both of us meant every word of our vows, but we aren't the same people we were when we were eighteen. Sweetheart, we don't mesh. Can't you see that? I'm happy with what I've achieved at work. I'll always work hard, but that's not where my goals are anymore. I want a family."

"I want a family," she said quickly.

He huffed and looked down. She had no idea how difficult it had been, forcing himself to come to terms with the fact he'd never have what he imagined almost half his life. He'd wanted very badly to see her rounded with their child, to see a beautiful little girl who looked like her. "You want a family in that vague, 'it might be nice' way. You know you're not ready to have a baby right now. Tell me you can see a point in the foreseeable future where you'd want to take enough time off to have a baby. Yeah, you want to do it. You want to do a lot of things, but work is your priority.

"And there's nothing wrong with that. There really isn't. That's what I'm trying to say. You and I both deserve relationships that match who we are now, not who we were when we were kids who didn't know anything about life."

The way she stared at him then, like she saw his every secret thought, chilled him to the bone. "Oh my God," she said on a breath. "There's someone else."

"No," he said, too quickly.

Her eyes went wide. "There is. Holy fuck." She tilted her head to the side, her eyes darting back and forth between his. She gasped. "Your shirt. You've been wearing a shirt to bed. I noticed, but I thought maybe, you know, you were just getting cold or something." She put both hands to her head. "Fuck. You fucking bastard. You're trying to put this on me when you...you...you have someone's tattoo, don't you?"

He got to his feet, going around to her side of the desk. She skittered back from him. "Tanya. That's not what this is about. That—"

"You didn't deny it. You didn't fucking deny it."

"I—"

"Who is it?" Her face had twisted in fury now. "Who…" Just as quickly as it appeared, the fury drained from her features. "Oh my god. There's only one person it could be, couldn't it?"

Edward's heart had begun to pound out of control. His stomach twisted with dread. This wasn't going anywhere good. "This is about us. This is about you and me. No one else."

"Bull-fucking-shit."

"I swear this is only about us. Where I see our relationship."

She stared at him, her eyes welling with tears and hurt. "Okay." She swallowed several times, obviously struggling to keep calm. "Okay, then let's talk about how we can fix this. You don't just throw away a seventeen-year marriage on a whim. Let's figure out how to work on this."

Edward knew exactly how this was going to sound, especially given her accusation. But going into this, he'd made a promise to be completely honest with both her and with himself. "I...I don't want to work on it anymore."

He saw her lower lip tremble. "Because you want her," she said, not asking.

"No. There is no her. I mean…" He looked to the side. "There's nothing going on. Nothing. I…" He forced himself to look up into her eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you there isn't a tattoo, okay? There is, but this is truly not about that. It may have been a catalyst—something that forced me to look at things straight—but this is truly about us."

She huffed, leaning up against the wall, arms wrapped around herself. "I can't believe this. You're leaving me for a younger woman. Christ, is this my life?"

Edward's heart ached and despite himself, annoyance pricked at him. "Stop it. You know me, Tanya."

"Obviously not as well as I thought I did."

"Don't you get it? Nothing is going on between me and…"

"Bella." Tanya spat the name. "It's her, right? It has to be. Stupid fucking twit. I gave her everything, and she thanked me by seducing my husband."

"Leave her out of it," Edward said, angry now. "This isn't about her. We haven't even spoken about this. I didn't say one damn word to her about any of this. There was no seduction—not by either of us. This isn't about me wanting her, and I certainly have no fucking idea if she'd want me."

He knew the instant they left his mouth that he'd said the exact wrong thing.

For the four days after Bella's mark had appeared on his chest, Edward had tried his hardest to only consider his marriage. Being unable to deny he was in love with another woman— a mark he couldn't hide from his wife for long even if he wanted to—had forced him to make a difficult decision. Would he fight for his marriage or not?

After he knew that Bella returned his feelings—Christ, how long had it been for her?—it was especially difficult not to imagine the what-ifs. They hadn't had any time to talk, and being in love with him wasn't a promise she wanted to be with him. He would be lying if he said the possibility didn't make him breathless with hope.

But the question of his marriage took priority. That was why he'd run to his brother—to check that it really was a separate matter. He really did want to stop fighting for his marriage. He really did have to accept, whether Bella wanted him or not, that Tanya was definitely never going to be the right partner for him. They lived different lives, and that was that.

"You're pathetic," Tanya spat at him. The disgust in her voice made him flinch. "You want a divorce so you can be free to chase some twenty-four year-old-little kid without a guilty conscience."

"That's not—"

But Tanya was already walking away, headed for her door. Edward darted after her, sickening certainty settling over him. She was going to go after Bella.

Sure enough, Bella was just setting her things at her desk. She looked wary, but as she looked up and saw Tanya and Edward descending on her, she looked scared. She took a few steps back as Tanya got in her face. "Tanya," he said. "Don't—"

She spoke over him. "We finally got the go ahead and access to the situation in Israel. I want you on the story."

Edward made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a cry, unable to process what Tanya had just said. He'd been expecting her to fire Bella. There was even the off chance she'd throw a slap, but…

"What?" Bella said, her wide eyes darting between Edward and Tanya.

"I'm promoting you, you little twit. Congratu-fucking-lations. You're a reporter, and I want you out in the field. Get yourself on a plane to Israel. I'll give you through tonight. Don't worry about the details. I'll send you the information I'm looking for via email. Just get the hell out of my sight."

"Tanya, don't do this," Edward said. "Don't do this to her because of me. I swear on everything holy, she has nothing to do with this."

Tanya whirled on him. "Do what to her? This is a huge opportunity for her, and she knows it. But it doesn't matter, and you know why? This has nothing to do with you, you melodramatic asshole. This is a fucking business decision. You know. That company I care about more than my husband and more than my marriage? Do you really think I'd risk that precious company if I didn't think it was a good business decision?"

Her features twisted. "And don't you worry your pretty little head. Your precious girlfriend won't be in any danger. It's perfectly fucking safe. We're new to the game. We won't get the hardest stories, and besides that, US journalists don't die in Israel."

She turned again to Bella, and the look on her face was so fierce with hate that Bella cringed. "Tell him," Tanya demanded. "Tell him that you know this is the first toe we're setting into this kind of story. Tell him you know it can make a name for the magazine and regardless, having that kind of story under your belt means you'll never get stuck writing the fashion column or some equally asinine feature. You tell him you know what this will do for your career, and tell him you're going to go."

Bella seemed stricken and confused. "I… I don't understand what's happening."

Tanya scoffed. "Don't play dumb, sweetie. It's never an attractive look. Tell him it's what you want."

Slowly, as though she feared Tanya would pounce if she took her eyes off her, Bella looked at Edward. He could see the conflict raging across her features. He did his best to give her a reassuring nod. The last thing he wanted right now was for her to leave his sight, let alone the country, but he also knew he had no right to stand in her way. They both knew Tanya was true to her word. No matter her reasons for doing so, she'd just handed Bella a golden ticket. A golden ticket that came with a certain degree of danger, but that too wasn't Edward's business.

Bella took a shaky breath. "I… Yeah. I want that story. But I don't know that I'm qualified to—"

"You'll be fine," Tanya snapped. She turned to Edward. "As for you. Get the hell out of my office. Now."

"Tanya—"

"I swear to Christ if you're not gone in five seconds, I'm calling security to haul your ass out of here. Get out."

It was, for so many reasons, the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn't see that he had another choice. He had no doubt Tanya meant what she said, and what would be the point of turning this into a bigger scene than it already was? His eyes found Bella. The look on her face was conflicted, but she nodded ever so slightly, as though assuring him she would be fine. Still, it killed him to walk away from both of these women.

"I'm sorry," Edward said to Bella. He was in no mood to apologize to his wife at the moment, but he'd hoped to shelter Bella from any potential fallout. None of this was her fault, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel responsible for the demise of his marriage.

Then Edward left.

* * *

 **A/N: The comments in my doc are OFF THE CHARTS, yo. Many thanks to Barburella, songster, Mina, jfka06 (omg, she came out of retirement. I'm stoked), Packy 2.0, and MoH**

 **So, uh...how are you guys?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Fair warning. Last week was spring break at school. School is back in session as of tonight, so… ya know. If I don't stick to this once a day schedule I've been on as of late, that's what happened. Pfft. Life. School. Work. Getting in the way of everything.**

* * *

Bella had any number of reservations about being left alone in a room with an irate, enraged Tanya, especially when she had no idea what the hell was going on. However, as she was fairly certain the other woman wasn't going to attack her, Bella's priority was to get Edward out of the building before Tanya could make good on her promise to have him forcibly removed.

Almost as soon as the elevator doors closed, Tanya stumbled backward as though physically struck. She all but fell onto the couch, all the anger draining visibly away. "Oh god," she said, and covered her face with her hands.

Bella was about ninety-eight percent sure Tanya wouldn't want any comfort from her, but she couldn't ignore the other woman's misery when it was right in front of her face. She gulped, trying to slow the frantic pace of her heart, and took a few steps in Tanya's direction.

"Don't you fucking get near me," Tanya snarled, standing as suddenly as she'd sat down. She breathed in through her nose and smoothed her slacks, making a visible effort to be calm and collected. She leveled Bella with a look so cold, she shivered. "So he has your tattoo. Does that mean you have his?"

Bella had never been good at acting. The look on her face must have spoken clearly enough, because Tanya scoffed. "How long has this been going on?"

It was a miracle Bella could get her voice to work at all. "Nothing's going on."

Tanya picked up a stack of magazines and hurtled it at the wall, making Bella jump. "Why the hell are you still lying to me? Either of you?" She huffed and smoothed her pants again. "Forget it. I can't listen to this bullshit. You can make all these arrangements from home."

"I...I...I don't have that kind of money. To book a flight, I mean." It was a lame response, but it was also true. There were about a million other things that Bella wanted to say, but she had no idea where to start with that.

Tanya narrowed her eyes. It was the look of a woman who wanted very badly to stab someone. Bella could almost imagine the knife sliding into her belly. Tanya turned on her heel and strode into her office. Before Bella could gather her wits at all, she was back, her arm extended. She stopped short a few feet from Bella, offering a black credit card.

Bella swallowed hard, understanding only too well what Tanya was doing. It was the same card Bella had used to buy everything—dress, hair, makeup, everything—when she went to the ball with Edward. She was offering Bella the symbol of her supposed betrayal.

The prideful part of Bella—the part that knew damn well she'd done nothing to this woman—wanted to rail. She wanted to take that credit card and throw it in Tanya's face. After all, the reason Bella needed that money in the first place was because of Tanya's failure. She had dressed Bella up for Edward, sent her assistant off on the date she should have had with her husband. Bella wanted to remind her that Tanya hadn't even thought of the ball in the first place. That had been mostly Bella's doing. Tanya was the one who couldn't delegate, who couldn't make it home at night, forcing Edward to _compromise_ , giving up his time to hang around her office.

That part of Bella wanted to tell Tanya she could take her job and stick it where the sun didn't shine. The look Tanya gave her then told Bella without a doubt that she was enjoying this part—doing Bella a favor and forcing her to accept it. She knew damn well what little choice Bella had. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and whatever happened between Edward and Tanya, she could always play the victim. She'd given Bella the world and she'd stolen her husband away.

No one would believe Bella was innocent of everything except coveting. She hadn't even gotten a kiss out of it.

Bella swallowed her pride and her mostly irrational fear. The most she could do was hold her head up high as she approached Tanya and took the card from her. "Thank you," she said, pleased when her voice didn't shake.

"Get the hell out of my sight," Tanya said, her voice low and dangerous.

Bella ducked her head with a submissive nod. "Right."

She turned to walk away, but Tanya reached out and grabbed her by the wrist hard enough to make Bella gasp. The other woman's eyes were fierce with fury. "You think you're any better than me, little girl? You think you can be what he wants any more than I can? Did you tell him you were going to stay home and give him fat babies? Hmm? That's what you want at twenty-four years old?"

Bella could only stare back, stunned. She had no idea what the fuck Tanya was talking about.

The other woman scoffed. "Yeah." She tossed Bella's arm back at her, went into her office, and slammed the door behind her.

 _ **~0~**_

"Tell me I'm fucking crazy for doing this," Bella told Jacob even as she closed her suitcase. "This is insane. This is fucking nuts. There are about a billion reasons why I can't do this. Fucking Israel, Jake. As a first assignment. That's...that's...it's crazy. And last minute like this? I know it's not even three weeks, but to pick up and go in a matter of hours? That's not enough time. Tell me not to go."

"Hmm. I think I'm the wrong person to ask, Bells. I think you can do anything." Jake shrugged. "Sometimes you have to hit the ground running."

Bella sat heavily on the edge of her bed, gnawing on her lower lip. "Then tell me I'm crazy for not quitting. She thinks I seduced her husband." Bella still had no idea what the hell had happened. Friday night, Edward had revealed he was in love with her, then went off with his wife, leaving Bella aching. Then, on Monday morning, Bella had wandered into the middle of a tornado, with Tanya saying Edward was ending their marriage. For her. "This can't possibly end well when your boss thinks you're a homewrecking whore." She grimaced. "You don't think this is an elaborate scheme to have me killed, do you?"

Jake snorted. "No. But you know what I do think?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"What?" she asked, tired of being so confused and hurting all the time.

"I think that this boss of yours believes you can do it. I mean, it doesn't really make sense that she'd be setting her own business up to fail in this, right? And maybe she wants you far away from her husband, but it's a couple weeks, like you said. Not forever. So the only answer left is that, yeah...she doesn't want to see your ugly face—"

"Thanks, Jake."

"—but she does trust your capability. Any way you slice the cake, I think it opens too many doors for you not to do it. You said her email said she was assigning you an editor to work with, right?"

"Yeah. Reporters work with editors, not the CEO."

"So you won't even have to put up with the awkwardness for a few weeks. Whatever. And then it will be done. Once you put in the work, your boss can't undo it no matter how much she hates you. Run through the open door."

Bella huffed, but she reached up and ruffled Jake's hair. "Sometimes you're not as dumb as you look."

"I love you too, Bella."

Another couple of hours passed as Bella made frantic last minute plans and reassured first her dad, then her mom, that she was going to be fine. She wondered if they understood how little they helped. She was scared to death of this assignment. Not so much because of the danger—while not negligible, she knew she'd be fine—but because of the enormity of what this meant for her future. It wasn't all good, either.

As confused as she was about how this had all happened, Bella was certain that Tanya believed there was more going on between her and Edward than just friendship. Bella also understood that the biggest problem—at least as far as she knew—in Edward and Tanya's marriage was the way she continuously chose work over him. That was, Bella thought, another part of why Tanya was sending her away like this. To show him that Bella would run off without the slightest hesitation if it meant furthering her career.

It was a ridiculous thing to consider, wasn't it? She and Edward weren't together. She wasn't choosing work over him. Sure, she was desperate to talk to him, but how the hell could she do that? He was in the middle of whatever the hell was going on between him and Tanya. Bella didn't have _their_ life to consider. Right now, her life was only hers. Even if there was some hope of a future with Edward in it, Bella wasn't willing to give up everything for him. There'd have to be a balance.

But that was getting way ahead of herself.

Finally, the only thing left to do was pile in the car and head to the airport.

"You can't possibly be taking enough stuff to go to a different country," Embry said, having joined them now that he was off work.

"The most important thing is my laptop, I think." Bella went through her mental checklist, trying to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. "Whatever. They have washing machines at the facility, so I can reuse clothes if I need to. And if I forgot something I can't buy, I'll just have you send it by two-day mail. You can bill Tanya."

"Oh, please forget something expensive."

"She's ready and she'll be fine," Jake said, giving his boyfriend a pointed look.

"Yeah." Bella blew out a breath, staring at the front door. "I'm totally ready. I can do this. Sure." She nodded.

Chuckling, Jacob gave her a gentle push.

Bella opened the door and stopped short, biting back a startled cry.

Edward was standing on her porch. His hair was a wreck. His expression was pinched, and his fist was poised to knock. Instantly, the air around them grew heavy and heated—rife with every unspoken question. He let his hand drop slowly back to his side, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Hey," he said, his tone quiet and yet tender.

"Hi," she said, breathless. How often today had she wished he would magically appear? There wasn't a lot she'd wanted more than to see him. All day long, she'd tried not to think about it, because if she did, a despair began to claw at her, churning her gut, making her desperate and needy. Yet now, here he was, and she didn't think she remembered how to speak.

His eyes darted to Jacob and Embry. He nodded at them, but looked quickly back to Bella. "I'm not sure if you want to see me." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd understand if you didn't, but I wondered if maybe I could drive you to the airport?"

"Yes," Bella said, too quickly. She looked behind her at Jake and Embry. "I mean…"

Jacob laughed. "Go on, Bells." He pulled her into a tight hug. "Stay safe, okay? And keep in touch. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to freak right the fuck out, you got it?"

She clung to him for a moment. "Thanks, Jake. For everything."

Embry pulled her to him next. "You got this, kiddo."

Finally, Bella stepped to Edward's side, following him to his car. Neither of them said anything on the short trip down the driveway. In fact, they were out of sight of the house before Edward spoke.

"Bella, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."

Bella stared down at her hands, nerves beginning to get the better of her. "For what?" she asked, because it was by no means clear.

"First of all, I saw in hindsight how dumb it was for me to have that conversation at the office. Not my proudest moment, trust me." He grunted. "I thought, well… I thought being at the office would be a comfort or a distraction. She does love that place. And I didn't see why you had to be brought into it at all, so I didn't consider the proximity to you. That was shortsighted of me." He huffed, and his next words were wry. "Tanya is nothing if not insightful."

Bella was quiet, processing that. "You're divorcing her?" She asked quietly.

He let out a long, slow breath. "Yes."

"Why?"

"A lot of reasons. Mostly, we aren't happy. We aren't miserable, but we're far from happy." He reached over and touched a tentative hand to her knee—an innocent and yet intimate touch that prompted her to raise her head. They were at a red light, and so when she looked up, he looked her in the eyes. "Bella, you know I can't deny that I love you. But you should know that my asking my wife for a divorce wasn't because of that. Regardless of what happens with us—or what doesn't happen for that matter—breaking up with her is the right thing to do for my life."

Bella was caught in his stare for another second until a honk behind them made them both jump. Edward returned his eyes to the road and the business of driving while Bella collected her thoughts.

After another minute of heavy silence, Edward spoke again. "This assignment. I know the circumstances aren't ideal, but this is really something you want, right?"

"I wish it was something I knew for sure I'd earned on merit, not just because Tanya doesn't want me anywhere near you. But I can't deny it's an amazing opportunity." She had to work hard to keep her nerves out of her voice, and she wasn't at all sure she was successful. "I don't know if I can do it, but I have to try."

Edward hesitated, but then he stretched out his hand, palm up, between them. Bella fingers twitched with want, but she, too, hesitated. The idea of touching him this way felt momentous. And she was afraid she'd never be satisfied with such a simple touch, especially when she knew what it was like to be held by him.

Slowly, though, she unwound her arms from where they were wrapped around herself, and she put her hand in his.

For the first time since he'd left with Tanya on Friday night, Bella found she could take a deep breath. A buoyant feeling filled her chest, and she had to fight a smile. His fingers threaded through hers, and her nerves eased.

"There's not a single doubt in my mind that you're going to be great. Foregone conclusion, remember?" He said, his voice confident and adoring. "You were always going to be successful, Bella. You can do this."

Looking at him, she knew without a shadow of doubt he absolutely believed what he was saying. More than that, he sounded proud. With his show of support, she felt like she was ten feet tall and in command.

"Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand for emphasis. It was all still so overwhelming; too many feelings all at once, and all of it happening so fast.

He didn't let her hand go, but brushed his thumb over her knuckles. He sighed. "There's so much I want to say right now, but I don't think much of it is fair. There are so many things I need to figure out." He paused, and she thought she felt a tremor in his palm. "You and I need to talk when you get back, right? Really talk."

That was when it hit Bella that, as out of sorts and completely over her head as she was feeling, he was in the same boat. Maybe not on the same page—his rapid life changes weren't the same as hers, after all—but occupying the same uncertain space. There was vulnerability in his voice. He knew he couldn't offer her much—not with his life in upheaval as it was. He knew all he could offer her right then was the shadow of a chance, a hope that there could be something between them, and he wasn't at all certain she would want him.

She did, though. God help her, she wanted him more than she knew how to say. She let her fingers move along his, caressing. "I think there's a lot to talk about," she whispered.

She saw his lips turn up at the corners.

Within another two minutes, they were turning off the exit to the airport. Two minutes after that, Edward was pulling over to the side. Bella was reluctant to let go of his hand. Her gut twisted, and she had the odd feeling that leaving his side was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever do. Irrational, and yet there it was.

He got out of the car and helped her pull her luggage out of the trunk. They stood face to face, cars and people passing all around them, and yet he was the only person in her world.

There was conflict in his eyes as he stepped forward. Bella's heart began to pound. She tilted her head up, watching. He raised a hand and cupped her cheek. His eyes searched her as though drinking her in.

His gaze lingered on her lips. Bella sucked in a breath, swaying. Wishing. Wanting. His thumb skimmed her cheek. Even amidst all the noise, she heard his stuttering breath, but finally, finally, he leaned in.

Electricity shot down Bella's spine the moment their lips met. Nothing in her life could have prepared her for it—the rightness of that kiss, the happiness it brought her. It was one of those rare moments of complete perfection. Her lips moved with his, sweet at first, testing. His palm splayed across her lower back, the other at her cheek. The whole world might have been falling down around them, but in that moment, everything was exactly as should have been. Perfect. Wonderful.

All too soon the kiss broke, but Edward didn't pull away. He leaned his forehead against hers, panting against her skin. His thumb continued to skim her cheek. "Please take care of yourself," he whispered.

"You too," she said, fisting his shirt between her fingers as she clung to him.

He crushed her to him, consumed her with his arms and with his lips once more. This kiss was more fevered—a taste of what could be. Whatever it was between them, this love of theirs, it was the most intense thing Bella had ever known. Then, just as she was about to decide to hell with it, she was never going to let him go, he stepped back, breathing hard.

As she walked in a surreal haze into the airport, she realized it was a foregone conclusion. She was his. He had her heart, and she was willing to give him everything else. Suddenly, Israel didn't seem so scary.

* * *

 **A/N: The last few chapters, my Facebook group was hopping with activity. Come on over and join us, if you'd like. Mina is offering cookies, wine, and hugs.**

 **So… how are we, kids?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Welp. The streak continues. For now...**

* * *

Being in love was such a singular, consuming thing. Part of the glory of love was the obsession—the attention to detail, the breathing in of the minutiae of the other person. He wanted to get lost in his love, get lost in Bella. He wanted to fall in love with her over and over again—with her passions and talents, her quirks and imperfections. He wanted to breathe her, live her. What else was new love good for but those weeks, months, years of ecstasy and innocent wonder.

Edward paused with his finger hovering over the enter button on his computer. He grimaced and, rather than send the Facebook friend request, he slammed his laptop shut and shoved it away. He laughed to himself as he rubbed a hand over his eyes.

Bella had been gone for three days at that point. He had her number—he'd gotten it the day of the ball so they could be in contact in case something went wrong. He knew she was safe. Overwhelmed but safe. He just wanted more.

He wanted her pictures, her thoughts about the situation she'd been thrown into the middle of. He was thirsty for more—more of her. But there was the bane of social media to consider.

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan are friends—announced to everyone they knew. No one would think anything of it at first. Not until Edward and Tanya announced their divorce. If Edward showed up with Bella after that, well...

That he knew, Tanya hadn't told anyone about the divorce yet. There hadn't been any texts from their mutual friends or threats from Tanya's sisters. She hadn't called him herself either, but then again, Edward hadn't called her. He wasn't really sure why. They had a million things to talk about, sort out, but he just couldn't see her at first. He'd been angrier than he knew how to deal with—frustrated and furious that Tanya would go after Bella.

And thus began the circle of shame. It still felt disloyal for him to feel so protective of Bella. He hadn't started this thing angry. At best, a divorce was sad. He'd hoped they could be amicable, but now there was venom and vitriol involved. He resented Tanya for that too, but he wasn't sure he should. It was only reasonable for his wife to be angry at finding out her husband had fallen in love with someone else, no matter what the circumstances were.

For the billionth time, Edward found himself reaching for his phone. He flipped to his text messages, reading the brief conversations he'd had with Bella over the last three days. The latest was the most important. They'd been dancing around the legion of elephants, keeping their conversation to pleasantries. He didn't want to distract her.

He convinced her to try to sleep. After she agreed but before she fell asleep, she'd sent a text. A few simple words that had him feeling like he could fly.

Bella: Is it okay to say I miss you?

Edward pressed the heel of his palm against his mouth, briefly overwhelmed by the emotion that washed over him every single time he read those words. Longing hit him so strong, he couldn't breathe around it at first. He'd have gladly traded his soul right then and there if it meant he could have her safe in his arms.

He wanted to tell her so many things, romantic things—the stuff of love letters and pillow talk. He wanted to imagine her holding the phone or the laptop to her chest, her cheeks pink with pleasure at his pretty words. He wanted to break their unspoken rule, to connect the in-chat cam option, because he was desperate to hear her voice.

But he couldn't have any of that. Not yet. This whole situation was so out of order. He was straddling the space between two very different lives. Bella didn't owe him anything. Love wasn't a guarantee that she would want something with him. And all of that without taking into consideration his own conflicted state.

It didn't mean he didn't want it all. It didn't mean he didn't dream about it.

Edward: I miss you, too.

"Edward?"

Edward looked up to find his father in the doorway of his parent's guestroom. He made an effort to sit up straight and smile. "Hey, Dad."

Carlisle came to sit beside him on the bed. "Hello, son." His father considered him for a moment. "I have to tell you; I've been keeping your mother off your back for three days now. I keep telling her to give you space, you'll come to us when you're ready to talk." Carlisle crossed his arms and his legs at the ankle, arching an eyebrow. "She's a mother, Edward. It has been a herculean effort on her part not to come _mother_ you."

Edward grimaced. His father nodded. "Exactly. So I suggest you start talking to me, kiddo."

It took Edward a few minutes to find the right words. "It's not that I'm trying to shut you out." He looked down at his shoes. "I guess I just don't want you to be disappointed in me."

Carlisle furrowed his brow. "What on Earth could make me disappointed in you?"

Edward tilted his head back against the wall. "Because if Bella would have me, I'd change my Facebook status from married to Tanya to in a relationship in a heartbeat."

Carlisle looked confused for long moments as he computed that. "Bella? As in Tanya's assistant Bella?"

Edward looked up at the ceiling feeling vaguely ill. "Sounds sordid, doesn't it?"

He told his father the story, beginning with the day he and Bella met up to the present. To that point, he'd only told his parents that he asked Tanya for a divorce without telling them why.

"I just never thought I'd be that guy, you know?" He ran a hand over his eyes. "Obviously, I never thought I'd want out of my marriage to begin with, but if it happened… It's a shitty thing, isn't it? To jump into a relationship before my marriage is cold? We've been married seventeen years. Shouldn't it take me months to even think about dating?"

To his surprise, his father looked more bemused than anything. "Well, yes, Edward. It would be nice if the world was neat and orderly. It would be nice if everything happened at the proper time, and there were no complications. That all sounds very nice, but that world is also fictional. In _this_ world, though, life doesn't often work out that way.

"The thing about right and wrong is that, except for the big things, it's an illusion. It's all semantics. I'm sure that if you asked many people, they'd tell you that waiting a few months after your divorce is final to pursue someone new would be the right thing to do. But right for who? And what's the real point? Seeing you with someone else is going to hurt Tanya whether it was five minutes or five years.

"You know I love Tanya, Edward. As much as I didn't think you and she made a good long-term couple, she's a nice woman. A good person. But you're a good person too, and you're my son. I'm going to be straight with you." He clapped Edward's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "You spent years of your life working on your marriage. Her intentions might have been good, but regardless, Tanya didn't put the same amount of work in. You've given up enough. Be discreet and respectful, but if you have a chance at happiness, take it." He offered his son a smile. "So maybe lay off the Facebook status for a little bit, hmm?"

 _ **~0~**_

Edward went back to the house for the first time since that Monday on a Thursday mid-morning. He was surprised how different it felt already. It wasn't his home anymore—the place he'd bought and lived in with his wife. Strange how quickly that had all changed. His heart panged.

"Well, hey there, stranger."

Edward whirled, hand to his heart. "Tanya. What the hell are you doing here?"

She laughed, and there was something off about the sound, something that tore at him. "This is my house." She hiccuped. "Or is it? Are you going to take it, too? Make me sell it so we can split the profit?"

Edward stared at her for a few heartbeats. "Are you drunk?"

She leveled a glare at him, but it didn't have its desired effect; not when there was more pain than fury in them. She reached beside her and picked up a manilla envelope from the end table and threw it on the floor at his feet. "Did you forget that you sent that? Already?" She laughed again, taking a long draw of something from a cup. "I guess you finally figured out how to get me to stay home from work, huh?"

That was all the bravado she had left. She put a hand over her eyes, and her shoulders began to shake.

All the anger Edward had stored up faded away. He still hated more than anything that he was causing her pain. He hated it. "Tanya…"

She sucked in a breath and wiped at her eyes. "It's just so quick," she said, her tone high-pitched and thin with her tears. "You never came home on Monday, and you serve me papers on Thursday?" Another laugh, this one even more broken than the last. "Jesus. Are you really in that much of a rush? She's not pregnant already, is she?"

Edward slumped onto the couch with a groan. "Christ, Tanya, can we please not start that again?" He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I know what you think. I know you don't believe me, but can we just agree that's beside the point? You and I are the only ones responsible for this marriage. If you won't believe me, can we at least agree on that?"

She sniffled, looking away and wiping under her eyes again. It took her a minute to calm down, but then she nodded. "I heard what you said on Monday," she said, sounding defeated now. She sighed. "And you're right, okay? I know you're right. I'm a workaholic. That look on your face, the one when I cancel our plans at the last minute, or send you off to another family dinner alone? That look is the bane of my existence. I know that it's you who has to deal with the excuses and the pity. It's not like I didn't think of that at the time. It's just...You know, I was working. It always felt like that should have been a good thing."

She took a deep breath, calmer now. "I get that you're unhappy. I get that you want out. I get what I did, and I don't want to talk about that right now. It's not a mystery to either of us. Now, I just want to know how she did it."

Edward crossed his arms over his chest, his head resting on the back of the couch as he tried to keep his temper.

"It's the one thing that doesn't make sense, Edward. Yeah, I get that you spent a lot of time together, but you've never had problems being friends with a woman. How the hell did she make you fall in love with her? What did she say? Because I know her too. I know what she wants out of life, and it—"

"Stop!" The word came out sharper and louder than he'd intended. It took a considerable amount of willpower for him to modulate his tone. "Just stop. For fuck's sake. You're the one who happened to us."

Tanya scoffed. "I told you I know that part. Everything is my fault. I suck as a wife."

"No. That's not what I'm talking about. You didn't happen to us." He gestured between them. "I meant what I said on Monday. There's nothing wrong with the things you want out of life. You're not a horrible person for wanting to invest so much of your time at work. We both should have figured out we didn't want the same thing. That's all that happened to us.

"But you happened to Bella and me. That's the answer to your big mystery. You kicked me out of your office so you could concentrate on work, and left Bella to hang out with me. You were relieved. You said it so many times, how glad you were she was there to help me pass the time. There was no seduction. Neither of us planned any of it. You gave us more than enough time to spend together, and we clicked. Simple as that."

Tanya said nothing to this. Her head was turned hard away from him, but he could still see that she was pressing her lips into a thin line, trying valiantly not to cry again. It didn't work very well, because her breath hitched a moment later.

Edward slumped forward, his elbows on his knees. "We didn't have an affair. I fell in love with _her_. Not her body. Not sex. Her. I know what it looks like, T. I do, but you've known me practically all your life. You know I wouldn't lie to you. Seeing that tattoo was a huge shock for me, and it took me days to figure out how I felt. Not about Bella but about you and me. See, I wasn't being honest with myself or with you either. If I hadn't let myself believe I could change you, then the whole issue of Bella would never have existed."

He had to suppress a shudder at that. Better or worse, he was nothing but glad he knew Bella existed, and that she loved him.

Again, Tanya lapsed into silence, still staring away from him. Every once in awhile, she sniffled.

"Can I see it?" She asked, the words so quiet Edward almost thought he'd made them up.

"What?"

She finally turned her head forward, but she still didn't look at him. "Her tattoo. On you. Can I see it?"

The idea made his stomach twist. "Tanya, come on. You don't want to see that."

"Of course I don't want to see it." She sniffed. "But I think I need to."

"Why?"

"Because I need to deal with the reality of it. There's a part of me that wants to promise you I can change. I can be who you need me to be, but the reality is that I can't." She took in a breath as though breathing was painful. "I need to see it because I need to come to grips with the fact that if you did take me back, I'd have see it. I'd have to see every day how much you wanted someone who wasn't me." She looked up at him. "Please, let me see it."

His heart ached for so many reasons. He understood what she wanted. She wanted to break whatever love she felt for him. She wanted to break it so it was easier to accept. Knowing her as he did, Edward thought she probably also needed to see it to believe this was really happening. And hadn't that been what it took for him to admit his marriage had ended years ago? To see someone else's mark on his body?

Edward sat up straight on the couch and took his shirt off. He watched as Tanya's eyes found the tattoo. He watched her heart break.

"Christ, right over your heart," she said. She press a hand to her mouth, breathed in two quick breaths and put it down again. She offered him a pathetic but teasing smile "You think that means something?"

He shrugged, putting the shirt on again. "You know what the experts say. It's all chance."

"I always thought that was a crock of shit," Tanya muttered. "There has to be some logic behind it."

"Maybe," he allowed.

Tanya ducked her head, staring down now. "Is it so easy for you to let us go?" She asked, looking toward the envelope at his feet.

"Easy?" He scoffed, though without malice. "This isn't easy for me, T. Not by a long shot."

"You just don't seem upset."

"You know I was away almost all last weekend?"

She gave a curt nod, and he realized she was probably waiting for him to tell her he was with Bella—flaunt her replacement in her face. "I was with Emmett," he said. "Crying my fucking eyes out." He leaned forward, angling his body toward her. "I just didn't want you to have to deal with that. And I wanted to rip the bandage off. That's the only reason for how quickly I got the paperwork to you." He dropped his voice to a soft, apologetic tone. "I'm not going to change my mind. I thought about nothing but whether or not I wanted to fight for our marriage for a solid week and made sure there wasn't a chance I would. That's why I'm trying to get the shitty part done with as soon as possible."

Again, she was quiet. She leaned back in her seat and reached for her wine again. "Do you think you can get whatever you came for and leave me alone for a while?" She asked without rancor.

Edward hesitated. "How much have you had to drink?"

She huffed, but her lips tugged up ever so slightly. "Don't worry." She released a long, slow sigh. "I called Irina and Kate. They'll probably be here in another half hour."

In other words, she'd finally told someone.

"Guess I better get going before they kick my ass, huh?"

Another tiny smile. "Yeah."

"Okay." He got to his feet. After a moment he approached her, but he only touched her arm, not wanting to hurt her anymore than he already was. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Me too."

* * *

 **A/N: Much love to Barburella, Mina, Packy 2.0, MoH, Songster, and jfka06 for all their help and for making my docs hilarious despite the sad subject.**

 **Bella's coming home next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I am so tired!**

* * *

 **~Bella~**

Edward: Can I pick you up from the airport?

Bella's heartbeat fluttered. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the text again, making sure she wasn't hallucinating.

It wasn't a good idea. Bella was already exhausted. She'd been running, running, running for three weeks straight. Adjusting to the time difference and the surreal idea she'd been thrust into the role of international reporter hadn't given her much time to get her head on straight. She'd been flying by the seat of her pants. It was doubtful she'd sleep much on the flight home as she'd be going over the details of her story. Then there was the time difference to deal with again.

There was no way she should jump straight from all that into whatever the hell was going to happen between her and Edward. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought. Caught up in what she was doing in Israel, it had been at least easier not to think of what was waiting for her at home. They had texted, but there was no discussion. Edward was letting her concentrate on her work, and she was letting him concentrate on his divorce.

What was about to happen? What did Edward want? What did she, Bella, want? What was going to happen to her job? Okay. Edward was in love with her and she was in love with him, but what did that mean for the rest of her life? Was she coming home to a technically-still-married boyfriend? She should at least be well rested and non-jetlagged before she tried to deal with all that.

Bella: I'd really like that.

Groaning at her own stupidity, Bella flopped over on her hotel room bed, burying her face in the pillow. She screamed, giddy despite herself. Apparently, love turned her into a lunatic. She just wanted to see him so badly, and that was crazy, too. She'd spent weeks lovesick for this man. The idea she might actually have him was intoxicating.

And that was yet another reason why stepping off a plane from Israel right into his arms wasn't advisable. She just couldn't help but wonder if sex was on the table.

It was a reasonable thing to think, wasn't it? They were in love. Sex wasn't the only way to express love, of course, but it was the one that leapt to the forefront of her mind. Since she'd been in Israel, she'd had more than one fantasy about touching the coil of her tattoo where it was on his chest. And then letting her fingers skim lower.

Bella rolled over again, staring up the ceiling. It was going to be a long night.

 _ **~0~**_

The night was long. The flight was torture. Finally, she was back in the States. Almost as soon as the plane's wheels were on the floor, Bella sent off a text.

Bella: Plane landed.

Edward: I'm here.

A thrill went down her spine. She finger-combed her hair, trying not to let the sudden rush of giddiness get the better of her.

"That's the look of a woman with someone waiting for her on the outside."

Bella flushed and looked up at her seatmate—a middle aged man who'd been friendly on the flight. "Yeah," she said, checking her belongings as she waited for her turn to deplane.

"Boyfriend?"

She ducked her head, hiding a smile. _Maybe._ "Yeah."

"Have fun," the man said with a wink.

The line to get off the plane seemed to take forever. Bella had to struggle not to bounce on her feet. Finally, she was free of the crowd. She moved faster, dodging around the families and the people who weren't in a rush. Bella wondered if the airport walkway had gotten longer somehow. She was so impatient, but finally—finally—she was on the escalator.

Her skin tingled. Her heart pounded. She tried to keep her sense of theatrics in check; this wasn't a movie after all. Except it totally was a scene straight out of the movies.

Edward was waiting for her at the bottom of the escalator. He was leaning up against the wall, hands in his pocket, looking down at first. But within a fraction of a second of coming into view, he raised his head. His eyes searched over the throng of people on the escalator. He found her.

Despite her pep talk to herself, Bella couldn't stop her broad grin. She didn't have time to feel embarrassed before he smiled back, lips stretched just as wide. Bella's heartbeat quickened. If there weren't people in her way, she would have run to him. May as well complete the movie moment at that point, right?

Edward pushed up off the wall, coming as close as he could without getting in the way of traffic. As soon as she was free of the escalator, her step quickened. She dropped the bag she was carrying at her feet, wrapping her arms around his neck just as his arms came around her waist. She laughed—a breathless, giddy sound. His fingers skimmed along her sides. His eyes sparked as he cupped her face in his hands. She had enough time to take in the way his ecstatic grin turned gentle before he kissed her.

Bella whimpered.

The entire time she'd been in Israel, something in her had been missing. Or maybe, it had been as though there was a weight on her chest, making it so she never felt quite right. In his arms, as their lips moved together, that weight lifted. Whatever was wrong righted itself. She was home. Her entire world had changed, but she was safe and adored.

One of the other travelers brushed by them a little too close, jostling them. Bella gasped, thrown off balance. His arm wound more securely around her waist, and he looked off to the side, his narrowed eyes following the rude traveler for a moment.

Bella laughed. "We should get out of the way."

He turned back to her and his features relaxed. He wound his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles as he looked at her. "I'm glad you're back," he said quietly.

"Me too."

 _ **~Edward~**_

Edward wondered if Bella had gone over scenarios in her head about how this was going to go down. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. But it was a good kind of nervous. Not all twisting stomach and cold sweat.

No. It was nerves tinged by the sweetness of new love. Edward took her hand and shouldered her bag as they walked together to baggage claim. It was nerves mixed with the happiness that went through him every time he glanced at her only to see her looking back, her eyes lit with excitement.

Still, they had to get down to the business of all the unanswered questions between them. He tapped on the steering wheel as they got into the car. First things first.

"Where to?" He was careful to keep his tone light and free of emphasis. The very last thing he wanted to do was let her go again, but he was mindful of the fact she'd been traveling all day after a long three weeks. He offered his hand, palm up, and that gave him the strength he needed. "I'm sure you want to go home to bed."

She crinkled her nose. "It's three in the afternoon."

"What time is it in your head?"

She laughed. "Who even knows. I got confused." She sighed as he moved his fingers with hers, caressing. "I don't want to go home yet." He heard her swallow hard. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Edward bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her words. Then he considered the next words he was about to say. He didn't want her to think he was pushing. "I moved out of the house," he said quietly. "I have an apartment for now. We could go there, if you want. To talk." He cleared his throat. "Or we could talk over dinner. I should feed you. Are you hungry?"

He bit the inside of his lip. Christ, he was so nervous.

"You moved out of your house?" Bella asked, sounding sad.

Edward reminded himself that he knew part of talking with Bella would have to include talking about Tanya. That was natural. Uncomfortable, but natural. "Somewhat ironically, the house means more to Tanya than it does to me." He massaged the skin between her thumb and forefinger with his thumb. "It had all the things she wanted. Big kitchen." Which she'd rarely cooked in. "An office lined with bookshelves." That held books she'd never gotten around to reading. "She's probably going to buy me out of my half of the house."

"I'd like to see your apartment," Bella said after a moment. It might have sounded like a line, except she sounded as nervous as he felt.

In spite of himself, desire twisted in his gut. He tamped that urge down before it could start.

"Casa Cullen it is, then."

As they drove, he told Bella as much as was respectful about the dirty business of ending a marriage. He and Tanya were being civil. Neither of them were hurting for money, so there were no real financial difficulties to be navigated. It was all very clean.

Edward's heart panged as he related this, and he wondered again what the hell he'd been doing all these years. Aside from the high drama of falling in love with another woman, the end of his actual marriage was anticlimactic. He was relieved in many ways, but at the same time, it made his heart ache.

But then he would look to the side and see Bella there, feel her hand in his—they never let go—and he would remind himself that life wasn't supposed to be a fairy tale. It wasn't supposed to be perfect. If he hadn't stayed in his dead-end marriage for so long, he wouldn't be here with this incredible woman.

However all this turned out, he wasn't going to regret that he had the chance to love Bella.

"So she's not angry anymore? At you?" Bella asked.

Edward grimaced. "She has her moments." There had been a few more arguments. One or two of them had gotten a little nasty, but Edward figured that was to be expected. He had a lot of resentment about how often he'd had to make excuses for her, and that resentment flared when she snapped at him for one thing or another. But their anger burned out quickly as those things went.

He waited for Bella to ask if Tanya was still angry at her. She was, but to what extent, Edward didn't know. When he'd tried to ask, Tanya had shut him down.

" _You said yourself, our marriage is only our responsibility. And you're divorcing me, Edward. You don't get to know what happens with the rest of my life_ ," she'd said.

"I'm glad," Bella said, and she didn't ask what she was in for.

They made it to Edward's apartment. It was a nice place with a view of the city. Sparsely furnished for now, though Tanya had given up the living room furniture he'd picked out.

Bella lingered at the window, looking out over the skyline, and Edward couldn't help himself. A warmth spread over him, and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her gently against his chest. He brushed the hair off her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck. He kissed a trail upward, brushing her cheek before he murmured in her ear. "It's so good to have you here."

She turned in his arms and caught his lips in a kiss.

Christ, kissing her felt so good. It made him lightheaded. And the feel of her body as his palms moved from her shoulder blades to the small of her back was perfect. He swept his tongue along the line of her mouth, tasted her, swallowed the tiny whimper she made at the back of her throat.

So good. Heady. She made it easy to forget the unofficial plan.

Somehow, Edward was able to force himself to pull back. Not all the way at first. He kissed her a few more times—tiny kisses that traced the shape of her lips—before he remembered how much they had left to talk about.

He dropped his hand to take hers. They gazed at each other even as he led her to the living area and pulled her down with him on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her shoulder. "When did you get my tattoo?" he asked, his fingers playing against her back where he knew his tattoo was hidden by her shirt.

She was quiet for a beat. "The day after the ball."

He froze, his breath leaving him in a huff. "Oh, Bella," he said softly. He remembered thinking she was acting a little strange, ever so slightly off. He huffed a humorless laugh.

"What?" she asked, and he could hear the self-conscious edge in her voice.

"I wasn't laughing at you." He caressed her cheek, comforting. "I was laughing at myself. I was about to ask you why you didn't tell me, but I realized what a stupid question that was."

She scoffed and ducked her head. "What would have been the point?"

He tilted his head, studying her. "Didn't it ever occur to you to wonder if I felt the same?" It had occurred to him after her tattoo appeared. He'd remembered the way she looked at him sometimes, and he dared to hope. It hadn't been a total surprise when she'd showed him his feelings were requited. "I know it was a complicated situation, but didn't you wonder?"

"I didn't think there was a chance," she said, her tone wry. "How could I be what you want? And I don't mean that as a self-esteem thing. I know I'm an awesome person, but that doesn't mean I'm what you want."

And there it was. They'd come to the inevitable question of would they or wouldn't they. Yes, they were in love. Intensely and desperately so. But the last seventeen years of Edward's life was a study in exactly why love wasn't good enough to justify a relationship let alone a life together.

He unwrapped his arm from around her and angled his body to face her. He took her hands in his, staring down at the way their skin looked melded together like that. He sighed. "You know it goes both ways, right?"

She looked up at him, uncertainty in her gaze. Edward tilted his head forward and brushed her lips in a quick kiss. "Tell me what you're thinking, Bella."

Bella looked down again. She shifted her grip so she had only one of his hands in both of hers, and she began to play with his fingers. "I never wanted to be in love. All my life, love kind of made me mad."

"It made you mad?"

"Yeah." Bella's smile was sad. "Because it doesn't make any sense. My mom fell in love with a man who used to beat her. My best friend fell in love at the exact worst time—before his life was stable. It's just so indiscriminate, it pissed me off. If love had to exist, why does it not make any sense?"

It took Edward a minute to parse through her outburst. She was chewing her bottom lip, and he reached forward, pressing the corner of her lip with the pad of his thumb. "You're saying we don't make sense?"

She looked up at him from under her eyelashes, the vulnerability in her eyes making his heart twist. "Do we?" She took a deep breath, searching him. "I'm barely starting out in a demanding career." She grimaced. "Although, that might be in total shambles, huh?" She shook her head, obviously not expecting an answer to that. "Meanwhile, you have your life together."

"Bella, I'm in the middle of a divorce for fuck's sake."

"You know what I mean. Professionally, you have your life together. You're set." Her expression became furtive. "Tanya said… And it makes sense, you know? It makes sense that you're ready to have a family. Stuff like that."

"You mean we're in different places in our lives?" He clarified.

Bella nodded. "That, and just… You know first hand how much work goes into a career like mine. Yeah, I think Tanya overdoes it, but there would have to be times when work took priority over you." She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'd hate for you to end up resenting me."

He laughed. "I'm sorry. Again, I'm not laughing at you." He ran his fingers through her hair tender, pushing her hair back. "Do you know which day I fell in love with you?"

She looked up at him with a cautious expression.

"I fell in love with you the night I took you to interview that woman. Seeing you like that, so in your element, was an incredible gift. And then you took the time to explain to me why it meant so much to you. You know, in seventeen years of marriage, Tanya never did that? She never shared her passion with me."

Bella furrowed her brow. "Like, she never talked to you?"

"Well, she'd tell me about her day, about interesting people she met. Things that happened. But she would never explain why it made her so excited." He shook his head. "Regardless. The point is, I admire your drive and your love of what you do. That you know what you want, and you work so hard to get it is an attractor for me."

He hesitated a moment. He didn't want to scare her by talking about them so seriously, but figured she would understand. Still, he ducked his head as he spoke. "I think a good partner is supposed to walk beside you. Part of the whole point in being with someone, being in a relationship, is so you always have someone to lean on. Your partner should want you to achieve all your goals, and should do everything they can to help you get to where you want to be.

"The trick, the part Tanya never got, is balance. Everything you do in life, anything worth doing, takes work, time, and effort. So, yeah, you work your ass off at your job, but you don't forget the other things you want to do. I shouldn't be the only thing in your life, but neither should work be. I think you've already got that down. You're a better friend than Tanya has ever managed to be. You procrastinated a report because it was more important to plan Jacob's birthday. Things like that matter.

"What I think you're worried about, whether or not we're compatible—it goes both ways," he said again. "You're at a point in your life where your freedom, so to speak, is important. It's nicer in a lot of ways."

"You were never free at my age."

Edward's lip twitched. "Well, no, but I never wanted to be. When we talked, you said you enjoy being single."

She sighed. "I think I said I don't mind it. It wouldn't be bad not being single. For the right person, I mean."

"Do you want kids?" he asked after a moment. "At all, I mean. Not now."

"At some point," she hedged. "I think."

He nodded slowly, considering that. He reached out and took her hands again, drawing her out of the protective ball she'd curled into. "There's not a deadline for me on the kids thing, you know. I told you I always assumed I'd have a family someday, but there was never any point where I had a solid plan. Whatever Tanya told you, I'm not interested in a broodmare. Yes, it's only fair for you to know I want kids, but not tomorrow.

"I'm going to lay it out for you straight, Bella. No secrets. I'm not a casual kind of guy. It's just not in me. I'm serious about you. That doesn't mean we can't take things slowly. It just means I want to be with you.

"And I know what that means. Trust me, I know how young you are and exactly where you are in your career. I know you've never been in a relationship. I know _you,_ Bella, and I want you just as you are.

"That's where I'm at. I want to be with you. Only you. And I know what you mean about love. I wish I had met you when I was free and things were less complicated. But that's not how it happened. There are a lot of reasons I'm no prize. So the question now is where you're at. What you want."

Edward would have liked to say he would be fine no matter what her decision was, but he'd promised her he wouldn't lie. If she chose to walk away from him, he'd be devastated. He wondered if she knew she had the power to crush him.

Bella took a deep, shaky breath. She gripped his hands tightly and shut her eyes. It seemed like eons passed before she raised her eyes to his. "You know, it was never a choice. I've been yours for months."

Edward let out a loud breath, unable to hide his relief. He reached for her, practically lunged at her. He pulled her tightly against him, tugging and clasping until he'd gathered her onto his lap. "Bella," he said breathlessly. "Bella, Bella, Bella." He peppered her face with kisses until she giggled. The sound made him so happy, Edward thought he could have bounced straight up to the moon. "Oh, Bella. What the hell are we doing?"

She laughed. "I have no idea. I told you. Love is a bastard. It makes no fucking sense." She tilted her forehead against him and stroked his cheek. "I love you."

Even though he'd seen his mark on her, her admission felt new somehow. Heavier. Just more. He cradled her close, kissing first the tip of her nose then her lips. "I love you, Bella. So much."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay. They talked. You know what happens next.**

 **We have to figure out if Bella still has a job, duh!**

 **Ahem...**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Crikey, we're almost done! Seriously, can some of this mojo transfer to my ofic?**

* * *

The question that had plagued Bella the whole time she was in Israel—would they or wouldn't they—was answered. Her relief was palpable, and in its wake, exhaustion hit Bella hard and fast. She would have thought the giddy elation she felt—his kisses made her blood sing—would be enough to keep her awake, but no. It was three in the morning in Israel. It had been three crazy weeks. Being thrown into the deep end of the pool in her job, worrying about Edward, and wondering what the hell was going to happen hadn't made for a restful situation.

So even though making out with Edward was one of the most thrilling things she'd ever experienced—the tingles, good lord—Bella found herself nodding off mid-kiss.

"Oh, see. I'm already being a bad boyfriend," Edward said, readjusting her in his arms so she was leaning against him. "I should have taken you home."

"No. Ssssorry. I'm 'kay," Bella said, snuggling closer. He was so warm. She liked the rumble of his chest when he laughed.

"You're slurring, sweetheart."

"Pssh. No." She rubbed her cheek against his. She liked the feel of his stubble on her skin.

He chuckled again, and in the next moment, Bella was flying. She wrapped her arms around Edward's neck to steady herself as he carried her down the hallway. "Whoa," she said eloquently. "What—"

"Hush, you. I'm putting you to bed."

"Oh, tha's kinky." Bella stroked her fingers through the hairs at the back of Edward's neck. "You takin' me to bed?"

He made a soft growling noise and ducked to nip at her lips. He laid her down in a big, comfy bed and climbed over her, propping himself up on his hands and knees. Despite her tiredness, Bella's breath caught. His grin was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen, especially hovering as it was inches above her. He leaned in and kissed her—a long, slow, lazy kiss—and then he pulled back. "When I have you, Bella, I want you to be fully conscious."

He leaned down again, catching what little breath she had left in his mouth. He kissed her lips once. "I want you to remember." He kissed her chin. "Every." He used his nose to tilt her head back and kissed her neck. "Moment."

Bella moaned and squirmed beneath him. To hell with sleep. Surely it couldn't be that important.

Edward backed up and sat on his haunches, his hands on her knees. He drew his fingers down her leg and, his eyes locked on hers, he took off one shoe and then the other. Bella's heart had begun to pound. Her breath stuttered.

He stood and threw one half of the bed spread over her. "Sleep a little bit, Bella," he said, his voice still husky, his eyes dark. "Then let me feed you."

Letting out a long breath, Bella reached out. His smile gentled as he took her hand and let her draw him to sit beside her on the bed. She didn't have anything in particular to say. Her thoughts were too muddled. She just wasn't ready to let him go yet.

He did her one better and laid down beside her, stretching his long body around hers. "Just a minute," she said, nestling against him. "Just until I fall asleep."

Chuckling, Edward slung his arm around her waist and stroked her back. "Goodnight, beautiful," he said and kissed her nose.

Bella fell asleep with a smile.

 _ **~0~**_

When she woke up again, the room was considerably darker, but the sun hadn't set yet. "Fucking time zones," she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Consciousness returned to her more quickly then. She remembered where she was, remembered his arm around her as she drifted off.

The idea she could fall asleep like that again—that sent warmth through her body. She'd come back home to a new and wonderful world. She was happy. Giddy.

Her hand fell on the cool sheet beside her. So easy to imagine him there as he had been when she fell asleep. Or better yet, to imagine him on his back, smiling up at her—that sexy, adoring grin. It was easy to imagine his hand cupping her face and then….

Bella got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She splashed cool water on her face, trying to mitigate the flush of her cheeks. She glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror, her smile wry. "Getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" she muttered at her reflection.

But was she getting ahead of herself? _When_ I have you, he'd said. There was no question, and why should there be? They were in love, and they were together.

Bella stood up straight and stared herself in the eyes. She was a strong, confident, sexy woman, she reminded herself. She tapped a finger on the bathroom counter, pretending she wasn't as nervous as she felt.

Nothing to be afraid of. This was Edward.

She turned toward the little room that could only be Edward's closet, an idea forming in her head.

A few minutes later, she moved down the hallway, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. She took a deep breath. The smell that permeated the apartment made her second guess her plan. He'd cooked.

Correction, he was still cooking. She paused a moment to admire the sight. He moved around the kitchen, humming to the soft music playing. There was a smile playing at his lips that was just lovely to see. He seemed so content.

When he turned back to the stove, Bella moved forward. She looped her arms around his waist and pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his shirt over his shoulder. He made a noise, sort of like a grunt of satisfaction. "Good morning, sunshine. Are you feeling better?"

"Mmhmm." She let her fingers strum over his belly. "That smells good."

"You like pork, don't you? I like pork chops. They can be elegant or comfort food when you bread them. Very diverse cut of meat."

She hid her smiled against his back, adoring this man more than she knew how to deal with. "Yeah, I like pork. It looks like you went with elegant today."

"Mm. I had time, or I thought I did. I thought you'd sleep for at least another—"

He turned around and his breath left him in a gust. "Holy hell."

Bella bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. "I thought I'd change into something a little more comfortable." Namely his button down, dress-shirt and not much else. "I hope you don't mind."

He laughed, the sound raw. His eyes were still riveted downwards. She would have teased him if she wasn't so pleased. She felt Angelina Jolie levels of sexy. "Mind?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. "Bella, no. Oh, no, I don't mind."

Bella stepped forward. He still didn't move. So she stepped again and reached past him to turn off the stove. That got his attention. He looked up at her, blinking.

The dumbstruck look on his face faded, replaced with one of mischief a split second before Edward lunged at her. She yelped and found herself briefly in the air. He set her down on the counter and leaned in, his palm on either side of her body as he kissed her. He kissed her lips, her neck. His fingers tickled her sides, and she giggled, catching his fingers.

His eyes on hers, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Bella's breath caught. Her heart skipped a beat as he drew his fingertips on her kneecap, down her leg. He cupped the back of her ankle and his eyes finally dropped.

"There it is," Edward said with a whisper. He took a firm grip of her right ankle, lifting it.

Bella watched, worrying her lip between her teeth, as Edward took in her tattoo, adulterated as it was. His brow furrowed. Bella shivered as he traced the lines of the vine.

"It's a control thing," Bella said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I told you. Love made me mad. I didn't like the idea that I had no control over whether or not I fell in love with someone, and that I couldn't control who loved me. I guess I just needed to brand myself."

She reached out, running her fingers through his hair. "Does it disappoint you?"

He looked up at her as he let her leg drop. He turned his head to kiss the side of her knee. "Yes and no." He stood and kissed her, cupping her cheek as he pulled back. "I like wearing your mark, so yes, I'd love to see it on you." He curled a strand of her hair around his finger. "But more than that, I admire you." He took her hand and pressed it flat to his chest, right where she knew her mark was. "You always seem to find a way to live life on your own terms."

Bella snorted softly, but she was pleased. She thought he was somewhat delusional—her life had been lived on anything but her own terms since she'd found his tattoo on her body—but it was nice to know he thought so highly of her.

Again, his eyes wandered down her body. "Bella," he said, and the word came out a rumble that sent shivers down her spine. He drew a fingertip along the inside of her thigh. "Do you have any idea how intensely erotic it is to see you like this?"

Instantly, the air between them grew hot and steamy. The kind of atmosphere that made her feel like she was wearing too many clothes. She slid off the counter. He was so close, she was pressed up against him when she did. Keeping her eyes on his—a trick she'd learned from him—she let her hand splay wide on his chest. His heart was pounding as fast as hers. She dropped her hand between them and cupped him between his legs. "I think I have some idea. Yeah."

He groaned, the sound like a growl, and he snaked his arm around her waist, crushing her to him. His kiss wasn't gentle. Bella moaned, opening her mouth to him as she arched up.

Just as quickly as it had begun Edward stepped back. He was panting. He rubbed the back of his neck looking charmingly befuddled. "I should feed you. You have to be hungry."

He was nervous, she realized. Just as nervous as she was. Maybe more. Bella wasn't oblivious to the fact this had to be at least a little awkward. She looped an arm around his neck and began pressing tiny kisses along the strong line of his jaw. "Are you hungry?"

"For food?" He scoffed and tilted his head to catch her lips. This kiss was sweeter but not lacking for heat. His hands began to wander, rubbing her back. "I just want to take care of you."

She ran her thumb along his cheek, looking into his eyes. "I want to take care of you, too." She wondered if he could grasp just how much she wanted that. He hadn't gotten enough of that—someone looking out for him more than just professionally. She swallowed that down and kissed him again. "But right now, all I want is you."

His hands at her waist, he turned them slightly so he could walk her backward, kissing her as he went. "You have me, Bella. I'm yours."

They were quiet then, save for soft moans and the smack of their lips moving together. He walked her backward, stumbling once when fervor got the better of him. He pressed her up against the wall, every line of his body against every line of hers. Bella pressed back, unable to get enough.

"Want you," she said with a whimper. "All of you."

He swept her up into his arms, carrying her for the second time that evening toward his bedroom. This time, though, she was wide awake, tugging at his shirt as though she could get it off while they were still in the hallway.

"Hands off, Swan," he said, tone teasing now as he set her down in the center of his bed. He was over her in a heartbeat, his weight on her this time as he kissed her. He caught her wandering hands and pinned them to either side of her head on the bed. Bella's breath caught at the sight of his smirk—all danger and mischief. "See, you dressed yourself up for me." Bella shivered as he drew his fingers up and down the length of her sides. "And this is one gift I want to unwrap."

He rolled so he was propped up on one elbow, looking down on her. He kissed her long and languid as his free hand undid each button in turn. He moaned when his fingers encountered bare skin. She wasn't wearing a bra, though she was wearing the pretty panties she'd put on especially for him.

"Christ," he murmured in a whisper, his eyes raking up and down her body. Bella was surprised what a visceral thrill it was to have him look on her like that. Her skin, where his eyes roamed, was alive and aware as though he'd touched her. She bit her lip, stifling a moan.

His wandering fingers found a small tattoo just above her pelvic bone. He traced the pattern, the intricate detail of a flower blooming on a cactus. A symbol of where she came from—that beauty could bloom despite diversity. He looked up at her. "All yours?" he asked, and she couldn't help but smile.

She reached up, cupping his cheek. He kissed the pad of her thumb when she moved it across his full lips. "You're the only one I've ever loved," she whispered.

His breath stuttered, his eyes gone dark and wide as he looked down on her. He leaned in and kissed her—a soft kiss at first. He skimmed the tip of his nose down her neck and kissed along her collarbone.

"Oh." Bella arched her head back when his mouth closed around her nipple. She tangled her fingers in his hair. His hand was cupped around her other breast, running his thumb in circles as his tongue flicked and swirled in turn. "Oh, God."

"Not quite," Edward said, releasing her and straightening up. He brought her up with him, looking her over one more time before he pushed his shirt off her shoulders.

Rather than lay her back down, he turned her, pressing her to the mattress on her belly. His hands wandering over her panty-clad ass turned her startlement into pleasure.

He sighed, the sound content, and a moment later, she felt his lips at her shoulder, over where his tattoo decorated her skin. She giggled with the sensation when he licked her there. "You can't put the flame out," she teased.

"Oh, really?" He nipped her skin hard enough to make her yelp in surprise and then soothed the spot again with his tongue. "No harm trying."

"No," she said, the word a little shaky as his hand had wandered between her legs. He rubbed from the cleft of her ass, his long fingers reaching beneath, teasing the edge of her panties. Before she knew it, Bella was grinding against him, dying for his touch, needing all of him.

"God, Edward, please. I need you."

He rolled on top of her. She could feel his hard-on, though there were far too many layers of clothes between it and where she wanted him to be. He attacked her neck with his lips, his teeth. "You need me, baby?"

"Please."

"You ask so pretty." He kissed her. "You're so gorgeous, Bella. So good."

As he murmured sweet things in her ear, he reached beside them, somehow managing to open the nightstand drawer. He produced a condom, and Bella's breath caught.

There was no good reason why she should find it so hot that he was prepared. Pressed beneath him, his hard cock rutting against her, she supposed she was inclined to find almost everything he did hot. It was just the idea of him moving into this place, already thinking of sharing it with her.

Edward straightened up again, and Bella whimpered with the loss of contact. His hands were back on her in a heartbeat though, dragging her panties down her legs, helping her kick them off. The bed creaked as he took off his own clothes, though his fingertips—tracing the pattern of her vine on the back of her leg—kept her from offering to help.

When he was naked and ready, he guided her up onto her hands and knees. His fingers rubbed over her bare sex now, teasing her clit. "You feel so good," he murmured, kissing her shoulder. "You're so wet and ready for me."

She reached one hand back, caressing his cheek and tangling her fingers in his hair. "Please. Now."

One arm locked around her waist, he used the other hand to guide his cock to her entrance. Bella's moan was loud and wanton, her eyes closed tight as he entered her. The stretch, as she accommodated his thick cock, sent thrills down her spine, shooting pleasure through her veins that tightened in her nipples and core. In that position, she was able to take him in deep, which was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling her, moving in her.

When he was sheathed completely in her, Edward stopped. This time it was him who whimpered. He pressed an open mouth kissed to her shoulder. "So good," he whispered. "You're perfect."

His hand across her chest, he drew her up so they were both upright. Bella turned her head, catching his kiss as he began to move in her. Their moans mingled and vibrated between them.

It didn't take long for their breath to become too labored to keep kissing. Edward pressed her forward again, swallowing the space between them so she was braced on her elbows and he was leaning over her, one hand on the bed, the other around her, stroking her even as he filled her up.

"Oh, hell. Oh, God. Edward," Bella babbled, gyrating her hips back as his cock brushed the sweet spot inside her. She felt the coil of pleasure, felt her walls tightening around him. "More. Harder. Please."

"You like this, baby?" Edward pressed a shaky kiss to her shoulder and groaned. "Christ, Bella. Good god." His fingers at her clit stroked her hard. The slap of skin against skin was loud in the room. "I wanna feel you, Bella. Are you going to come for me?"

Oh, god. She was. She really was. The intensity of the orgasm building in her was almost frightening. Not just the physicality of it, but how she seemed to feel it deep in her soul. That was something she had no context for.

Making love, she realized. She loved him so much. Sex was good. Making love was ecstasy. That was what she felt—ecstasy. Her vision blurred, and she screamed with her release. She heard his cry, felt the pulse of him in her, with her, and she collapsed, boneless, onto the bed.

He collapsed on top of her a split second later, and though it drove what little breath she had left from her body, Bella couldn't mind. She wasn't ready yet to separate from him. His weight on her, the way he was draped over her, was only a comfort. She turned her head to the side to cool her super-heated face.

She was trembling, but so was he. Bella didn't need to ask him why he was shaking. It was powerful, this thing between them. A powerful love, and she knew without asking that it was different for him. Different from any love he'd experienced. He found her hands and clasped them tightly.

After a few minutes, he groaned and rolled off her onto his back. She raised herself slightly so she could look at him, and then rolled onto her side. Her heartbeat picked up again and her lips curved up in a smile when she rested her palm over her tattoo.

Over his heart.

He opened his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. He rested one hand over hers and reached the other out, stroking the backs of his knuckles in a slow, easy movement. They stared at each other unabashedly.

Bella licked her lips. "Hey, Edward?"

"Hmm?"

She didn't bother to hide her grin. "I'm hungry now."

He stared at her for a beat and then he laughed. "Oh, I see how it is. Now that the well-planned, _elegant_ meal I made for you is congealed on the stove. _Now,_ you're hungry, hmm?"

Bella let her eyes go puppy dog wide and pouted her lip out ever so slightly. He groaned and then laughed again, putting his palm over her face. "For chrissakes. Put that away. You win." He dropped his hand and stared at her with clear adoration in his eyes. "You're lucky I love you," he teased.

"I know." She pecked his lips. "Now get up, before I resort to cannibalism." She bit his forearm lightly.

"Oh, with threats like that…"

* * *

 **A/N: How we doing now, kids?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Happy Saturday, kiddos.**

* * *

Edward woke up sure he was still dreaming. He had to be. There was no way something so amazing could be real.

Bella rolled her hips, her bare pussy sliding over his rapidly hardening cock, and Edward was a little more convinced. Dreams were great, but no fantasy in his life had felt this good.

She was straddling him, naked and glorious, her hair still rumpled from his fingers the night before. In the early light of the morning, she seemed to glow. Maybe it wasn't that he was sleeping. Maybe he was dead, and she was an angel come to take him to heaven.

Or maybe she was a naughty devil come to drag him to hell, he thought when she rolled her hips over him again. Sensations like that couldn't possibly be classified as anything but a sin.

"Awake yet?" Bella asked, her smile soft and not at all wicked as it should have been.

"Does it matter?" His hips thrust up, seeking that sweet slip-slide. He wanted to be inside her. "You seem to be doing well on your own."

"Yes, but audience participation is so much better." She took his hand and guided it to her breast.

Edward stifled a groan. "Gotta love a woman who knows what she wants."

Minutes later, they were sticky all over again. He was sprawled on his stomach, and she was draped on top of him. Bella's body was hot. Not just easy-on-the-eyes hot, but heated. Yet, he didn't want to let her go. Not yet. He was enjoying the feel of her fingers on his bare skin far too much.

In his post-coitus haze, it took him a few minutes to figure out what she was doing. She was tracing Tanya's tattoo—the small one on his lower back. He turned his head to look at her. "Does it bother you?"

Her eyes were guarded when they met his, but not upset. "That would be silly. Why would I be upset about something that happened when I was...what? Seven?"

Edward rolled onto his back. He took her hand and guided her into his arms. "It doesn't have to make sense for it to bother you."

She started to climb her vine on his chest with her fingertips. "I never really understood why evidence of past relationships bothers some people. I love you for who you are; all of who you are. Tanya will always be part of you. I can't claim I love you if I want to pretend your past didn't happen." She grimaced. "I was actually wondering just how appropriate a dragon is as a talisman for Tanya. She's going to burn me alive, isn't she? Fuck, I need a new job."

"I'm sorry," Edward said, kissing her temple. "I've complicated your life."

"Well, yeah, but it goes both ways." She sighed, nestling closer against him. "I thought about quitting. That almost seems fair. I know she doesn't want to see me. But I'm not independently wealthy. I'd have looked for a job, but it was kind of difficult with that whole, you know, being in Israel thing."

He clucked his tongue. "And you could have started looking last night, but I distracted you," he said mock-mournfully.

She smirked at him and smacked his chest lightly. "You are a distraction, aren't you?" She leaned over him, teasing his lips with hers and reaching between his legs to caress his cock. "Or maybe it's my little friend here."

Edward hissed, his legs curling up in reaction. He laughed, the sound strained. "Christ, you're insatiable. That's sensitive, you know."

"I'll be good," she said, releasing him, tickling his belly as she did.

He caught her hands. "No, don't be good. I wouldn't know what to do with you if you were good."

"I can think of a few things." Bella waggled her eyebrows, and tilted her head up. Edward knew an invitation when he saw one. He leaned in, kissing her, holding her hands. Ah, the giddy glory of love.

With a sigh, he released her. "If I don't let you go now, I never will, and we both have to be at work, right?"

Bella groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes. "This is going to be awkward." She sighed and rolled over, getting out of bed.

She kept talking, but Edward's mind had gone blank. Bella, to his great delight, had proven to be secure with her body. She never seemed self-conscious about her looks. So when she got out of bed, she was completely nude. She stretched, and he had to wonder if she was giving him a show on purpose.

Edward had never really considered himself an ass man, but given the evidence quite literally right in front of him, he was beginning to question that alignment. It was just such a great shape.

Actually, the whole back view was delicious, top to bottom. His tattoo decorated her shoulder blade, which was a delectable bit to begin with—made for his tongue and teeth. He already knew and loved the way she shivered under his touch when he ran his finger along her spine. He loved the small of her back and the curve of her ass.

Then there was her tattoo. As though it weren't sexy enough that she had legs for days, her vine climbed her leg from her ankle all the way to the back of her knee. And from there, her man-made tattoo continued all the way up to where leg met ass.

Bella snapped her fingers in front of Edward's face and he jumped. "Sorry, what? Did you say something?"

"Uh, yeah, but let me derail myself for a second, because this topic is a lot more fun." She quirked an eyebrow as she reached for his discarded shirt and slipped it on. "Do you actually have the libido of a fourteen year old boy? This is the second time you've gotten distracted staring at me."

Though she was teasing, Edward felt his face flush hot. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, effectively, I suppose that's true."

"What?"

"Think about it." He watched her as he spoke, new to navigating this line of conversation. "I've only ever seen one other naked female body in the flesh, so to speak."

"Whoa," she said, her expression somewhat stricken. "That's kind of heavy. Well, I guess not heavy. I just hadn't thought of it like that." Her look became furtive. "So, you're sure you don't want to play the field a bit?"

She was kidding, but she also wasn't. Edward got out of bed, reaching for his robe. He pulled it on as he crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist in a loose hold. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

Looking up, she shook her head, eyes a little wide with his nearness.

"Good." He kissed her lips in reward, and swayed them. "Because I know what I want. I'm not a seventeen-year-old boy anymore." He felt her tremble beneath his hands and kissed her again softly. "Does that scare you?" He had no concept of how not to get too serious too fast, especially when he was very much in love with Bella.

She took a deep breath. "Yes." She tightened her hold on him and kissed him, lingering, moving her lips with his. "But you know me. I tend to run right for scary things."

He pulled her tightly against him and just held her, enjoying the way she fit in his arms. She sighed, resting her head on his chest, and swaying with him. "I really need to get going."

"Yeah," he said, not letting her go. "Me too."

"Can I use your shower?"

Edward snorted. "Of course you can."

She lifted her head, giving him a mischievous look. "Want to join me?" she asked, her tone sultry.

Edward groaned. "More than anything, but we'll never get out of the house if I do."

Bella pushed up onto her toes, kissing him once more—a long, passionate kiss that bordered on the edge of being too much for his weak willpower to overcome. She broke the kiss with a gasp, stepping reluctantly out of his arms. "Tell you what. I'll let you go now, but we get to spend the entire weekend in bed."

Christ, this woman was going to be the death of him. "You're so demanding." He sighed. "The things I do for love."

"Oh, yeah. You suffer." She chuckled and smacked his ass on the way to the bathroom.

Edward made his way to the kitchen, feeling as though the grin was permanently etched on his face. He hummed to himself as he rummaged through his fridge for the makings of a hearty breakfast.

He was happy. Happy enough that he felt like chuckling at nothing at all.

He didn't want to compare Tanya and Bella; he really didn't, but how could he help but notice the difference in his life? Sure, his relationship was less than twenty-four hours old, and things would change when they were over the ridiculous high of new love, but Edward didn't think it was naive to believe certain things wouldn't change.

Bella was naturally more attentive than Tanya had ever been. Edward had steeled himself for the fact that Bella would want to finish up work on her story as soon as she got back. The whole time she was in Israel, the majority of their conversation centered around what she was doing, the experiences she was having, and the angle she would take writing it up. She was excited and passionate as ever about her job.

But she'd gotten the article done while she was still in Israel and had sent it off to her editor before the plane took off. She'd said she spent the majority of the eons-long plane ride tightening up the story, but rather than run off to meet with her editor first thing, she'd told the man she'd be in today instead, giving her the afternoon and night with Edward.

And now, she had promised to spend the weekend, despite the fact she was new to her job. Even if it didn't work out—he knew that push come to shove, it was rational to choose her job over a weekend of nookie—that she had even thought of putting him, putting _them,_ first was new.

Again, he couldn't blame Tanya. They were children when they first married. By the time they got to the point where they had to make choices between work and their couplehood, their relationship was something they'd both gotten used to. It was there—something that had always been.

He'd wanted balance—to be there for birthday parties and weddings, to travel and have new experiences, to spend time giving back, doing charity work, and to have a family of his own. Tanya wanted those things, but not nearly as much as she wanted to be the best at whatever she was doing—the best reporter, the best new business owner, the best in the business. Edward loved his job, but he was content with simply being a good architect.

Bella had proven she'd go above and beyond for her job—how else had she ended up working such long nights right alongside Tanya—but she had never given up her charity work or her friends. At her age, hell, even in college, Tanya had already been bad at keeping up with friends. Edward couldn't count how many times she waved him away, telling him to have fun at a frat party with his friends while she studied.

No. Edward didn't think he was looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses. He and Bella were a good match, plain and simple. He was deliriously happy, and he had every hope that this was just the beginning of a happy, fulfilling future.

His head was full of ridiculous notions. He considered squeezing the orange juice fresh even though there was a perfectly good carton in the fridge. But he knew Bella better than all that. What she would appreciate more than fresh squeezed orange juice was breakfast that could be enjoyed on the go. So, he toasted English muffins, folded scrambled eggs omelette style, and added bacon for a makeshift breakfast sandwich.

As he was wondering how Bella took her coffee, a knock sounded at the door. He checked the time. It was early, but not ridiculously so. His new next door neighbor was an overly-friendly elderly man who liked to keep him informed of potentially suspicious goings-on.

Edward opened the door and his patient expression fell into one of shock and budding horror. "Tanya. What are you doing here?"

"Good morning to you too, Edward," Tanya said, her tone dry. She pushed past him into the apartment and turned around, eyeing him. "I was trying to catch you before you left for work, but you're not even dressed yet."

Edward grimaced. He used to get ready to go to work right away because there was nothing to linger for, but he didn't have the kind of job that required him to be in his office exactly at eight. He didn't say so, though. It was much more important to get her the hell out of here. "I have to leave soon. Seriously, what are you doing here?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Where's all your usual bullshit about how you want us to be friends, now, huh?"

"Tanya, this isn't—"

"Hey, Edward?" Bella called from the direction of his bedroom.

Edward closed his eyes. "Shit," he said under his breath.

Oblivious to the trap she was about to walk into, Bella continued into the living room. "Where did my luggage end up? As much as you might like it, I'm pretty sure I can't walk into work na— Ah!"

Bella stood, staring wide-eyed at Tanya, clad in nothing but a towel. All the blood had drained from her face. In stark contrast, Tanya's eyes were narrowed, her cheeks glowing bright red with rage.

Tanya turned to Edward. "Seriously?"

"Seriously what?" Edward asked, working to keep his voice steady as he brushed past his soon-to-be ex-wife to grab Bella's bags.

"You still want me to believe you weren't having an affair? She hasn't been in the country for twenty-four hours."

Edward looked at Bella, getting right in front of her so she couldn't help but look at him. He put her luggage in her hands. "Get dressed," he said gently. Facing away from Tanya, he mouthed, "I love you."

"Oh, yes. Protect your precious whore—"

"Hey." Edward swung around and pointed a finger in Tanya's face. "That's enough. This is my house. You don't come here, uninvited, and insult—"

"Your what? Your fucking girlfriend? I'm your wife."

"I'm not sure what part of a divorce escapes you."

Tanya's face crumpled, and the pain in her eyes was unmistakable. "Jesus Christ. You don't even care. The whole time she was gone, you were playing like you cared, but you didn't. What was it? You thought I wouldn't sign your papers, release you from your guilt, unless you hid this vindictive bastard you've turned into?"

"I'm vindictive? You're over here throwing a tantrum, and I'm vindictive?" Edward waved a hand. "Would you cut the crap? What the hell did you expect when you came here?"

Tanya waved the paperwork she'd been carrying since she'd walked in the door. "I came to talk to you about our house."

"Yeah," Edward said, his tone scathing. He didn't want to hurt this woman, but goddammit, she'd pissed him off. "Who the hell do you think you're trying to fool? You came here the morning after Bella got back from the exile you sent her on? What did you expect to find?"

"I don't know. Maybe proof that my husband of seventeen fucking years gave a damn about about me at all." Her look hardened. "I want to know what she did, Edward. I deserve that much."

"Jesus Christ, don't start that shit again. How many times do I have to tell you—"

"This is between us? This is all about us? Fuck that and fuck you." Tanya stepped up to him, getting right in his face without touching him. "You want to spout that crap that we should have known years ago we weren't good together? How about you face reality? We didn't break up then. We never even talked about it. You never thought about actually ending our marriage until she was here."

Edward swallowed hard around the lump that had risen to his throat. Strictly speaking, he couldn't argue with that fact.

Tanya scoffed. "Exactly. And I get it, Edward. You always like to strut around in your white hat. You don't want to think that you abandoned me the second you caught a whiff of pussy, just like every other dirtbag out there."

"That's not what happened."

Edward and Tanya both whirled. Bella had reappeared in the hallway, her arms wrapped around herself. She was dressed now—her expression vulnerable yet determined as she looked at Tanya. "Neither of us meant for it to happen."

Tanya's face twisted in a sneer. She took a step toward Bella. Edward moved quickly to get between them. Tanya's look was scathing. She glared first at him then at Bella. "Don't worry, precious," she said in a sing-song, placating tone. "Daddy is here to protect you. No one is allowed to say anything bad about baby Bella. Poor little girl. God knows, she's so innocent. Surely, she just wandered, wide-eyed, into love with _my_ husband. And he, a man who hasn't looked at another woman for seventeen years, despite, apparently, being in, oh my god, the worst marriage ever, just happened to accidentally fall in love with her. Neither of you did anything to encourage it. Of course I believe you. Who wouldn't?"

"Tanya—" Bella began, a tremble in her voice.

"Welcome to the real world, bitch. Here's a dose of reality for you. You're fired."

"Tanya!" Edward took a step toward her. She stepped right back at him, in his face again.

"Oh, what? Grow the fuck up, Edward. You wanted your freedom to fuck your tasty little whore with a clear conscience? Wish granted. But I'm not going to watch her prance around my house, the magazine I built. Also—" She turned back to Bella, narrowing her eyes. "Real reporters finish their goddamned jobs before they spread their legs for married men. Your editor has been trying to reach you, want to get anywhere in this business, you see your story through until it lands on the page. You think we're going to hold up going live because you're too busy on your knees? Best of luck with your future endeavors."

With that, Tanya dropped the papers she'd brought over at Edward's feet, turned on her heel, and left, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 **A/N: On the one hand, that problem is solved. On the other hand…**

 **Thank you to songster, Mina, Barburella, jfka06, Packy 2.0, and MoH.**

 **And thanks to all of you. Your fervor for this story gives me life. You have no idea.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Couple clarifications.**

 **When Tanya said she didn't want Bella dancing around her house, she meant the magazine. That's the house she built. And when she said Bella hadn't finished her article, what she meant was yes, Bella had completed the first draft. But after that, it has to go through editing, fact checking etc.**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"That isn't a good idea." Bella straightened up from tying her shoes and smiled at Edward. He looked so pensive, she had to laugh. "I'm the one who's supposed to be nervous, remember?"

He looped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him, and kissed her gently. "I hate the things she's said to you, Bella. I don't want you to have to hear things like that again."

"Even if I run into her, she's not going to make a scene at work."

Edward snorted. "I suppose her dependability in that category works for us in this case." He sighed, smoothing her hair back. "I don't understand why she's taking her hurt out on you. This isn't about you."

"Yes, it is," Bella said sadly. She kissed his chin. "Don't worry. I'm not afraid of her. She's not immature enough to try to hurt me. She's already fired me, and at the end of the day, I get to come home to you. Between the two of us, I'm coming out on top, even if I'm collecting unemployment for a little while." She looked up at him and smiled. "Everything's going to be fine."

He smiled back and leaned down, kissing her in earnest. Bella relaxed against him, luxuriating in his sweet, soft kisses for a few minutes longer before she had to leave.

 _ **~0~**_

It was strange to be walking in the door of the magazine again. Bella had told a little white lie to Edward. She was nervous, but not about running into Tanya. She'd gone through the ringer on that one—her own small heartbreak at her part in hurting the woman. The loss of a mentor and friend. Her anger over the way Tanya treated Edward and the things she'd said to Bella. The exasperation. Couldn't they all be adults?

No, what Bella was more nervous about was what everyone else would think. While Bella had worked with many people in many departments at the magazine, the fact she'd worked so closely with Tanya meant that she wasn't part of the office gossip mill. They'd tried to recruit her many times. Who else would have better dirt on the boss? But Bella had out-maneuvered them every time.

She wanted to think that, if nothing else, embarrassment would have kept Tanya from telling anyone at work what had happened—exactly where Bella had gone. But she had to have told someone something about how Bella had found herself suddenly unemployed.

It was true that her editor, Eleazar Santino, had been trying to get ahold of her the previous evening, but he hadn't made it sound like it was a big deal in their follow-up phone calls. It had been almost a week since Tanya had come barrelling into Edward's apartment. Eleazar had gotten ahold of Bella later that day to go over the tightening he wanted done on the article, as well as to ask some follow-up questions for a side piece.

Now all that had to be done was for Bella to sign the paperwork necessary and pick up her final check.

She walked into the magazine with her head held high, trying not to look as paranoid as she felt. But after a few minutes, it was clear no one was looking at her. She made it to Eleazar's office without drama.

Once there, they got down to business. He showed her how the article had been put together—pictures from the photographer Bella had worked with in Israel included. He made sure her byline was correct, and showed the reporter bio that signed off each article, indicating that Bella was a contributor, not a current staff member of the magazine.

Eleazer sighed as they got to that part. "I'm probably overstepping my bounds here, but I have to tell you, this is amazing work for a first article." He chuckled. "None of us can figure out what the hell you did. First, Tanya sends you off on a story which, pardon my saying so, you had no business being on. In a brand new department. And not just any department, but an important one. Do you know how easy it would be for us to mess up an international contact?"

He held a hand up in a placating motion. "And don't get me wrong. You nailed it. This is great stuff." He grimaced. "And that's what makes her letting you go so mystifying. If she'd asked me, I'd have told her to do whatever it takes to get you not to take whatever offer is pulling you away from here."

Bella ducked her head, blushing and pleased for the most part. "There's, uh… There's no offer."

His eyebrows arched. "So she really did let you go." He ran a hand through his hair, clucking his tongue. "Listen. I don't know what all went down with you guys. I told her I'd had trouble getting you on the phone, but that's… you know, after an international flight, that's nothing. It's understandable. She went off the rails about it, but I didn't think it was serious."

He leaned across his desk, lowering his voice despite the fact they were alone in his office. "The thing is, the boss has been having a bad time of it lately. She's going through a divorce. I don't know if you knew."

Bella coughed into her hand. "Uh, yeah. I knew."

"Of course. You're her assistant." Eleazer nodded. "The point is, she's usually as levelheaded as they come. I don't know what went on to make her react that way, and I expect once she's in a better place, she might come to regret it based on what I see here." He nodded at her article on his screen. "In any event, I wouldn't worry too much. You have this under your belt. It'll be published tomorrow and part of your portfolio. You're going to be great. I'm sorry I won't get to be part of your career."

Some minutes later, Bella was leaving Eleazar's office with a generous final check in hand. She'd stared at the amount for a good long moment. A bribe, she wondered. For not making a fuss about the way she'd been fired?

Bella almost left. Almost. She was confused by the amount in her paycheck. Tanya had to have known Bella had no intention of causing a scene about the way she was fired. Bella figured it was only understandable, if unprofessional, that she'd lashed out. Irrational or not, Tanya had every reason to hate Bella's guts, and she knew that. So why the gesture?

There were other reasons Bella wanted to see Tanya, too. Edward, in his foolhardy quest to separate his marriage and divorce from his wife from what was going on with Bella, had accidentally severed Bella and Tanya's relationship in an instant. There was so much she wanted to say, not to her boyfriend's ex-wife, but to her friend and mentor. She doubted Tanya wanted to hear anything she had to say right now, but she still wanted to say it.

Girding her loins, Bella turned about face and headed in the direction of Tanya's office. She was shocked to see her old desk vacant. Strange that Tanya hadn't gotten a new assistant in the four weeks she'd been gone. Dismissing that mystery, Bella knocked on Tanya's office door. The woman was less than pleased to see her, but she only turned back to her computer as Bella stepped inside.

"What do you want?" Tanya said, her tone clipped.

"I wanted to say it was a genuine pleasure to work with you. I appreciate everything you've taught me, and all you've done for me. Sincerely, thank you for the opportunity."

Tanya gave a snort. "You're welcome," she said, not looking up from her typing. "For the husband, too."

Bella pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, chafing. She knew the high road would be to simply walk away. No matter what Edward and Bella had or hadn't intended, what Tanya had or hadn't done during their marriage, she was hurting. No abandoned wife should be forced to work with the woman who replaced her, professional or not.

But Bella had taken that high road one too many times, been called one too many foul things. She was done holding her tongue.

"Yeah, I have one follow-up question if you don't mind. I don't know if you remember, but the day I interviewed with you, there was a story on your desk. It was about how the words slut and whore couldn't be used in any empowering context. Those words can only ever reinforce patriarchal standards, misogyny, and sex shaming. So how often, out of curiosity, do you push stories you don't actually believe?"

Tanya stopped typing. Bella saw her nostrils flare, and knew she had struck a nerve. Tanya was adamant and outspoken about the magazine's stand on all things social justice. Having her hypocrisy thrown in her face was the worst thing Bella couldn't have said while still walking the high road.

At least, it was probably better than telling Tanya that she'd had Edward's cock in her mouth, had him begging and calling her name, not two hours before.

Tanya looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "What kind of sick bullshit is this? Are you going to gloat now?"

Bella resisted the urge to duck her head. She looked at her ex-boss straight on. "I'm not gloating. What I am telling you is I'm done taking your anger, and I don't need Edward to protect me.

"I know he prefers not to talk about me to you. I'm telling you for the last time, I didn't seduce him, but regardless? Your marriage never was my responsibility. I respect you as a journalist and as a person."

"Oh, really?" Tanya said with a sneer.

"Yes, I do," Bella said before she could continue. "The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you, and the only thing I wouldn't do to set it right is give up Edward—not that it's my choice to make. I get why we can't be friends, but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other. Or at the very least, it doesn't mean we have to be hateful."

"Oh, shut. Up." Tanya rolled her eyes. "You know, the more I think about it, the more I think you and Edward deserve each other. Both of you like to start crap in my office, which is the pinnacle of professionalism, let me tell you. Both of you wearing your white hats as though life just happens to you, perfect saints that you both are."

"Not saints." Bella sat down in front of Tanya and folded her hands on the desk. "Edward won't answer your questions, and I don't think he should have to. Believe it or not, hurting you and ending his marriage has been hard on him."

Tanya scoffed, but she didn't interrupt. Bella continued, "So whatever you want to ask about us, ask. I'll answer you honestly, as long as I don't think it's something you're going to throw in Edward's face."

Tanya's expression was wary as she sat back in her chair, her arms crossed, staring Bella down. "How cute the both of you are," she said, tone still scathing. "Protecting each other from the wicked witch of the west."

Bella didn't miss the hurt in her voice. This was, Bella thought, the crux of the problem. If Edward had come to his epiphany—that they didn't belong together and hadn't for years now—without having to first fall in love with Bella, his split with Tanya might have been amicable. After all, she had never argued the point that she and Edward wanted different things, were too different to make a good couple.

When Bella was in Israel, he and Tanya had gotten along for the most part, Edward had said. It was only when Tanya started to push for more information about Bella, or dragged her into the conversation that they argued. Tanya was very much alone in all this. Of course, she had her sisters to lean on, but Edward had a partner.

Because Bella was, like it or not, part of the equation, it didn't take much to see Tanya had never quite believed Edward when he expressed sadness over the end of the relationship. The fact, which Bella knew well, was that Edward was conflicted. Because she knew Edward was in love with Bella, it was natural to think Tanya doubted the sincerity of his regret and heartache. Yes, Edward was heartbroken over the end of his marriage, but that was largely overshadowed by the joy he found in his new love. And they all knew that was why Tanya had really come over that morning—to prove her theory that Edward wasn't suffering at all; that she was still getting used to sleeping alone when Edward already had Bella in his bed.

Bella cleared her throat and gentled her tone. "Ask me."

Tanya's eyes flicked up to hers, the look in them hard and angry. "When did you get my husband's tattoo? What prompted it?"

Bella pressed her lips together, trying to pretend her heart wasn't hammering in her chest. She should have known she'd go straight for that question. "It was the night of the ball." She spoke slowly and thought she saw Tanya flinch. But the other woman made her face a blank mask after that, and didn't say anything. Bella went on. "Edward was the perfect gentleman. We spent the evening talking with the others about our charity work."

"You do charity?"

"Yeah, I do."

Tanya said nothing to this, but looked off to the side, out the window.

Taking a deep breath, Bella continued. "We danced. There wasn't anything different about the way he was with me that night. We were friends, and that's how he acted. Like my friend." He'd been attentive, and she felt beautiful when he looked at her, but she didn't want to say that. He'd simply admired her in her pretty dress, that was all, but it wouldn't sound so innocent to Tanya right now.

"It was a good night, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. Nothing that would have made me even think about tattoos or love or doing anything with your husband that wasn't about friendship. It was my roommate who saw the tattoo, and it was a bad day for me when he did."

Tanya grunted, but she still didn't speak. Bella too sat quietly, wondering what she was thinking. Was she remembering that Bella had called in sick for the first and only time that Monday? Was she remembering that she and Edward had gone to Hawaii the week after the ball—a trip that Bella planned to perfection?

"You're saying you didn't tell him?" Tanya asked after long, silent minutes. "You had his tattoo for weeks and didn't tell him?"

"Would there have been a point?"

"Clearly, there was."

"I had no reason to think he felt anything for me besides friendship, Tanya," Bella said, proud of herself for keeping her tone steady. "He never came on to me, never looked at me that way. And besides all that, surely you don't doubt how much I admire you. You think I wanted to be in love with my boss's husband? How many conversations have you and I had about how I was focused on my career? I wasn't looking for a relationship at this point, at all, let alone with a married man. Finding that tattoo was the worst day of my life."

"Poor baby," Tanya spat, but there wasn't as much venom in her voice as there had been.

"I can't make you believe it, but I'm also under no obligation to explain myself to you. You fired me, which you and I both know was unprofessional. Whatever happened between us personally, professionally, you know I worked my ass off to get where I was, and I always went above and beyond with my work. If I wanted to drag you into a wrongful termination suit, you know I have a case. I have nothing to gain from being honest with you. If you want to continue to think that Edward and I were having an affair, ask yourself exactly how that's possible. Except for the ball, every minute we spent together was spent outside your office door."

"Then when?" There was a ragged note to the words, like Tanya was struggling to keep her emotions in check. "When did he fall in love with you? How?"

"I included him in my life. That's all."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He said he fell in love with me the night he took me to the interview with that woman. The daycare worker." Bella swallowed hard. "I was really happy, and when he asked why, I told him. That meant a lot to him for some reason."

It was somewhat of a low blow. Bella knew exactly why it had meant so much to Edward, but she didn't want to be the one to make that connection for Tanya. Could she see it, Bella wondered? Could she see that she had pawned off her husband on Bella, both accidentally—sending him to wait for her outside her office—and literally? Technically speaking, Bella and Edward had dated right under Tanya's nose. It had been a relief to her to have someone entertaining Edward while she finished working.

That was the story of how Edward and Bella fell in love—evenings spent chatting and laughing together over their favorite shows.

"I'd like you to leave now," Tanya said, her voice calm. She was staring out the window again.

Bella got up and left without another word.

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 **A/N: Many thanks to all of you for being so involved. My group was a madhouse, and I loved every word. Everyone is so passionate, and I can't tell you what that means to me. So thank all of you.**


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Duckies! Let's see how everything is going.**_

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"Everything looks very good, Ms. Swan."

Bella tried not to look as hopeful as she felt. Eric Yorkie was the editor-in-chief at a newspaper that served a good portion of the Northwest. The paper had a broader range than Tanya's magazine had. Some of their reporters had ended up moving on to national and world-wide papers or even broadcasting. It would be good to get her toe in even on the bottom rung.

Mr. Yorkie sat back in his chair and arched an eyebrow at Bella. "Can I ask you a question you're under absolutely no obligation to answer?"

Bella blinked. "Um, sure?"

"What the hell happened between you and Tanya Cullen?"

Bella ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat. She hid a grimace behind her hand as her heartbeat picked up speed. This was exactly what she'd been waiting for. She knew damn well Tanya had the power to blackball her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, she didn't say anything. Let me be upfront about that. We were at a conference last week, and I mentioned your resume came across my desk. It's not often one of Tanya's former assistants is out on the open market. She usually recommends someone. Forgive me for being up front, but it made me, ah, curious."

"We wouldn't be journalists if we weren't curious," Bella said, trying to keep the strain out of her voice.

Mr. Yorkie chuckled and nodded. "As I said, she didn't say anything when I asked about you. Strictly professional and all that. It was just that I've never seen her face twist like that." Eric shook his head. "Which would have been fine except that yesterday, she sent me a glowing e-mail of recommendation."

It took every shred of self-control Bella had to keep her complete and utter shock in check. Judging by the amusement that crossed Mr. Yorkie's face, she didn't do a very good job. He tapped his fingers against his chest. "So I gather you and she had a personal, ah, difference of opinion, but that she still appreciates your work?"

"I… Something like that, yes."

Mr. Yorkie studied her a moment and nodded. "Tight-lipped, huh? That's understandable."

"You know Ms. Cullen fairly well?" Bella asked.

"Fairly," he said with a nod. "We worked for the same organization for a brief time many moons ago."

"Then let me put it this way. If you hire me, Mr. Yorkie, I find it highly likely you'll have an answer to your question sooner than later."

He laughed. "The investigative reporter in me is intrigued." He nodded. "Okay. Let's talk salary then."

Bella couldn't keep her eyes from bulging. "Seriously?"

Mr. Yorkie grinned at her. "Recommendations from Tanya Cullen and Eleazar Santino? Besides your college work, I know you only have the one article, but it's an impressive article. Mr. Santino's letter made it clear the circumstances in which that article was written. It speaks highly of your ability to think on your feet that you were able to pull that off with little to no preparation. In short, Ms. Swan, I think you'll do good things here. So let's talk about where I can use you and what you're looking for in compensation."

Bella beamed. "Okay, then."

 _ **~0~**_

Edward's car was parked outside her apartment when Bella got home. She quickened her step as she ran up the walk. She knew she was grinning wide as a circus clown. She burst in the door to find Edward hanging out with Jake and Embry. That should have made her nervous—Jake's favorite thing the last month was to give Edward a hard time—but she was too excited for all that.

Bella threw her arms out wide. "Guess who's joining the ranks of the employed again?"

Her announcement was met with cheers from Jake and Embry. Edward went to her, scooped her up, and twirled her around. He set her down again but wrapped her in his arms. "Congratulations," he said in her ear. "I'm so proud of you."

A shiver went down Bella's spine. This was one of the things she'd never expected when she thought about relationships. Being with someone was never a part of her firm plans. She had ambitions, and a relationship wasn't among them. She knew how to be proud of herself and how to celebrate personal victories. But lately, she was learning to share this part of her life with Edward.

It had taken her a little while to get used to the idea. He talked with her in depth about what she wanted out of her career. She'd been offered a position at a tiny local magazine and had been tempted to take it—work was work. But Edward had reasoned with her, encouraging her to hold out for something better. After all, she had the nice severance Tanya had given her, and she could always draw on unemployment—that was what it was there for.

So rather than commit her time and energy to a tiny magazine without much possibility, she'd kept looking. How strange it was to think this was _their_ victory. This is what it meant to have a partner—someone who wanted to walk by her side, help her accomplish her goals.

Bella rested both her hands on his chest, gazing up at him, basking in the adoration in his eyes. He leaned down, giving her a quick peck before releasing her to the congratulatory hugs of her roommates.

"Dinner and drinks for everyone on me," Edward said. "Wherever you want."

The boys let out another whoop. Jacob slung his arm around Bella, giving her hair a playful ruffle. "I had to get three useless tattoos before I found a great guy."

"The best guy," Embry said, in turn slinging his arm around Jacob.

Jake turned and nipped at his boyfriend's lips. "The best guy." He turned back to Bella. "And you, you damn showoff, strike gold on the first one?"

Bella laughed and reached out for Edward. He took her hand, guiding her back under his arm. "Obviously, I have better taste than you. I mean, if I couldn't have Embry," Bella said, winking at Embry. "Does that mean you're going to stop pretending you don't approve of him?"

Completely shameless, Jake grinned, showing all his teeth. "If it gets me free booze, hell yeah, I'll approve of just about anyone."

Edward tilted his head, his expression deceivingly innocent. "Is that how you wound up with all those tattoos?"

Embry cackled and Jacob huffed. "He's clever; I'll give him that," he said to Bella.

Sometime later, Bella found herself tucked into a booth at a trendy bar. She was stuffed to the gills on bar food, curled up contentedly against Edward's chest. He hummed in her ear, and they both laughed as they watched Jake and Embry dance drunkenly.

Bella told Edward about what Tanya had done.

"It was the right thing," Edward said quietly. "It wasn't even a matter of not ruining you on purpose. She knew the circumstances of how she let you go were suspicious. So the choice there was to let Yorkie believe that you were incompetent in her eyes, or do the right thing."

"Still, it couldn't have been easy for her."

"No," Edward agreed. He sighed and began to press soft kisses against her hair. "Is it foolish of me to want it all? To want her to be my friend again someday and to have you in my arms?"

"I don't think it's foolish." Bella thought of Tanya's tattoo on his back. "If anything, that makes me feel better about you. I always thought it was sad. Just because you fall in love doesn't mean you're going to live happily ever after, but I always thought it was a shame that people couldn't look on their tattoos with fondness. I mean, you loved that person once, right? Just because you fell in love with me doesn't mean Tanya was never special."

She shrugged and turned to catch his kiss. "If you're foolish for wanting us all to be friends, then I'm foolish too."

His answering smile was soft, and he reached up to stroke her cheek. "We were meant for each other, do you know that?"

The idea made Bella want to fly.

 _ **~Edward~**_

Edward could hardly believe the whirlwind that had been his life the last three months. Three months since he'd found Bella's tattoo on his chest. Two months and three weeks since he'd asked for a divorce. Two months since Bella had come home, and his new life had begun.

He and Bella had agreed they weren't going to flaunt their relationship in any public space for a few months and not completely out in the open until after the new year. It had given them the time to concentrate on each other—to figure out some of the finer dynamics of their relationship. It had been an adjustment. Edward who had been married the entirety of his adult life mixing with Bella who had never had a serious relationship and had been completely independent her whole life, made for a pretty interesting pair.

But Thanksgiving was the limit of how long he could go without taking her to meet his family. They all knew about her, of course. And Bella's parents each had other plans, so there was no excuse there. Edward was excited. It would be good to share his impressive happiness with his family. Bella, on the other hand…

"Oh, god. This right here. This was one of the perks of not being in a relationship," Bella muttered as they turned onto the street leading up to his parents' house.

Biting his lip to keep from chuckling, Edward reached out and took her hand. "What's one of the perks?"

"I've never done the meet the parents thing."

"You're amazing, Bella, and they're going to see that."

"Yeah, right." She grimaced. "Come on. They're not going to think you're putting your life on hold again this time for some young floozy?"

"Hey, that's my girl you're talking about, so you best keep a civil tongue," he said, taking his eyes off the road long enough to give her an admonishing stare. "Bella, really. My parents are the best kind of in-laws you can have, and that's not just my bias speaking."

He looked over to find her staring at him with an odd look on her face. "What?"

"You called them in-laws."

Edward flushed. "You know what I mean," he said as he pulled into the driveway.

He didn't mean to be so pushy, but he hadn't ever seen the point of denying his end game was marriage. What was the point of being together if they weren't at least optimistic that they could have a life together?

Then again, all or nothing terms was exactly what had gotten him in trouble before, wasn't it? He told himself it was different with Bella. He, for one, was older and wiser. He knew himself very well now, in a way he couldn't have hoped to know himself when he was eighteen.

Bella squeezed his hand. "I'm teasing. I know what you meant."

Edward relaxed and got out of the car. "Emmett will tease us, but that's a good sign. It's when Emmett doesn't tease you that you know he doesn't like you. And Rose, well…"

"Didn't you call her a huge snot once?"

"What did you call my wife?"

Bella whirled around, but Edward turned more slowly. His brother was glaring at Bella in what Edward knew was a fake as hell glower. "Emmett," he said warningly.

Emmett grinned at Bella. "And really, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? Is there a bigger snot than this guy?" He gestured at his brother.

"So what does that make you and me?" Bella asked, flashing a small smile. "We're the ones who fell in love with snots."

Emmett snorted. "Well, my wife is hot and patient enough to bear four of my children. What you're getting out of this bargain, I have no idea."

"I get to meet you," Bella said with feigned sweetness.

"Oh, I like her." Emmett offered his hand. "It's good to finally meet you, Bella-girl. You don't have to worry about impressing me or Dad. You had us when you gave Edward that fuck-awesome birthday gift."

Shaking his head, Edward took Bella's hand again and led her into the house.

The rest of the afternoon was everything Edward had imagined for the last two months. One thing Edward loved about his family was their open and accepting nature. He watched with pure joy as Bella was pulled into the fold. She charmed Carlisle straight away by noticing his collection of books, and they had talked at length about some title Edward had never heard of. She'd wheedled embarrassing stories of Edward out of Esme. She'd played Mario Kart with Henry and Vera. When Abby and Joey had made it their mission to see which one of them could impress her more, she oohed and aahed patiently over each treasure they brought her and listened attentively to each story they told.

Carlisle and Esme had both found the time to tell him what a lovely young woman Bella was and remarked how good it was to see him so happy. Emmett made sure to inform him not once but three times how Bella had definitely gotten the raw end of their bargain—a sentiment Edward actually agreed with.

Rosalie, on the other hand, had doubts, but then, Edward had always known she would.

"It just feels like you're setting yourself up for another Tanya. Same profession. Same drive," Rosalie said to him privately. "Are you sure you didn't trade in your inattentive wife for an inattentive girlfriend?"

Edward didn't get the chance to answer. Joey, who had been telling Bella about how he was learning to play the piano, had worked himself up into a hyperactive state. He bounced around at Bella's feet, speaking excitedly about his first recital.

"You'll come, right, Bella? You'll come watch me? It's Tuesday. Tuesday night at six o'clock."

Edward's heart sank and his defensiveness rose automatically. He knew Bella's schedule. She'd made arrangements to be at some festival she was supposed to be covering for work. He took a deep breath, preparing to make an excuse and to watch all his family give that knowing look he'd hated almost as much as Tanya.

Bella spoke before he could, though. "Um, let's see. Tuesday? Yeah, I can make that work, little man. Do you really want me to be there?"

Joey's eyes lit up and he bounced in place. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Well, then, I'm going to be there," she said with a smile.

"But...the festival," Edward said, speaking without thinking.

Bella looked up at him. "Don't worry about it. I'll do it Monday instead of Tuesday. I'll have to put in a little extra time on Monday to get all my work done, but that's fine, right?"

Edward felt a smile creeping up at the edges of his mouth. "Yes, of course. That works just fine."

She nodded and looked back at Joey who was still clamoring for attention. Beside Edward, Rosalie gave a soft scoff. "She'll do," she said with a nod.

Edward rolled his eyes, but he smiled at his sister-in-law. "Well thank you for that."

After dinner, Bella, in a post-feast haze, Abby fell asleep in Bella's arms. She seemed comfortable enough, stroking her fingers absently down the girl's back as she spoke to Carlisle. Watching her, Edward felt his chest swell up. For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself the luxury of hope.

His attention was drawn away by his mother's touch. She squeezed his arm, a knowing smile on her face. "Will you stay tonight?" His mother did so much like to have her sons under her roof, and Edward had rarely gotten that chance.

He gave his mother a squeeze and nodded. "Yeah. I already asked Bella."

Esme looked as happy as Edward felt.

In another hour, he and Bella climbed into bed. Bella was still chattering excitedly, telling him about something or another his mother had said or something Henry and Vera had told her.

Bella loved his family. And they loved her.

He drew his hand down her face, tracing her features, and began to croon to her. "Me and you, and you and me. No matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be. The only one for me is you, and you for me."

She laughed softly and pressed her palm to his chest, climbing the vine as she'd so often done. "You know what I was thinking the other day?"

"What's that?"

"For most of my life, I hated my tattoo." She leaned down and kissed his skin, tracing the tattoo with her lips now. "But I don't anymore."

He stroked his fingers through her hair. "You don't?"

Bella rested her head on his chest, looking up at him, gorgeous in the moonlight. "I think it was a symbol of all the possible pain out there. Love can hurt so much." She drew the pad of her thumb along the underside of his chin. "But I didn't know how good it could be. I'm glad I can see it. I'm glad I can see how much I love you written on your skin."

He cupped her face, bringing it up to meet him in a slow, serious kiss. "We're only going to get better from here, " he promised. He sighed and nuzzled her hair. "I didn't know how good it could be, Bella. I love you."

 _ **~The End~**_

 **A/N: Wait a minute, wait a minute. Don't panic!**

 **I actually just got an idea for a mini-sequel. 3-5 chapters (Shut. Up. Mina) called Marked Complete. Yes, I might be doing this just so I can eventually say Marked Complete is marked complete. But really, I have a few lingering ideas I didn't get to use, and y'all seem to like this story, so why not?**

 **Also, because a few people asked, I will be adding a Tanya PoV outtake.**

 **For now, though, I mark this part of our story complete. So many thanks to barburella, packy 2.0, songster, Mina, jfka06, and GinnyW. (I drew two of my old betas out of retirement for this fic, whhhhaaaat even). Special shout out to MyOnlyHeroin for being so sweet even though I am soooo impatient.**

 **And special thanks to all of you. It's a good thing tattoos aren't really a thing, because I'd be covered head to toe with all your tats.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hello from Barcelona!**

 **So, several people wanted a peek in Tanya's head. If you're not one of them, feel free to skip this. Marked Complete should begin in a few days.**

* * *

Despite her best efforts, Tanya Cullen was only too aware of the clock. It kept ticking away on its continuous, silent countdown. She answered emails, put out minor fires, and checked the work being produced by all her various employees. Still, about a minute before midnight, she had to acknowledge she was reading the same sentence over and over again without comprehension. Her hands stilled on the keyboard, and she watched the clock switch from eleven fifty-nine to twelve.

Their divorce was finalized. December twenty-ninth. She was, for the first time in her adult life, not married. She bent her head, rubbing her temple. Her eyes stung, but she didn't cry.

Her phone chirped, and Tanya pulled it over, glad of the distraction until she saw who it was. She scoffed and then laughed when she saw Edward's name on the screen. He'd sent her a text.

 **Edward:** Hey.

"Ass," she muttered, shoving the phone away from her. She didn't feel the words, though. The text, as simple as it was, showed how well he knew her.

Being honest with herself, what had killed her most about the last few hours of her marriage was imagining how Edward was spending it. Had he even thought about her once? Or was he too busy with his supposedly oh-so-attentive girlfriend? It soothed her wounded pride just a little to know that even if he was in bed with Bella right this minute, it was Tanya he was thinking of.

In her heart of hearts, she knew Edward was telling the truth when he said ending their marriage had hurt him. As much as she sometimes felt he wanted to brush her off to play with a younger woman, he hadn't abandoned her.

Tanya grabbed at her phone and texted back.

 **Tanya:** What do you want?

She shoved the phone away from her again and looked around her office. Her work: the thing that had supposedly cost her her husband. Usually, when she looked around at all she'd accomplished—all of this was hers—she felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Tonight, she was plagued by uncertainty. Did her accomplishment mean so much when she had no one to share it with?

 **Edward:** I wondered if you wanted to meet for coffee tomorrow.

About a million scathing retorts came to mind. But, again, she knew him too well to think he was trying to torture her. It was just them at the beginning of their marriage. It seemed right to end the marriage the same way. They were the only ones who knew what they'd let slip away. They were the only ones who shared that history.

 **Tanya:** Not this time.

She set her phone down and covered her eyes with her hand. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she didn't wipe them away. Sitting alone in her office, she let herself feel the loss. The last thing she wanted now was to go home. Not to the quiet house she'd bought with her husband. Not to her cold bed.

The house had been the only thing Tanya had been prepared to fight for. She hadn't needed to. Edward had given that up as quickly as he'd given up everything else about their life together.

It wasn't that she didn't agree with him. Tanya understood why they were a bad couple. She understood that their lives had gone in different directions years ago. Tanya had spent so much time dreading Edward's reaction and disappointment when she had to back out of another commitment. In a lot of ways, it would be a relief to never have to deal with that guilt. She did understand why they weren't together anymore.

Still, it had happened so quickly. Never once had Tanya considered Edward not being there. She'd always assumed she would see a divorce coming. But despite their constant differences of opinion about how much she worked, they still got along. They still enjoyed each other.

She sighed and massaged her chest as though she could soothe the ache there. Remembering the day he asked for a divorce hurt worse than the finality of the clock ticking down to midnight.

 _ **~Then~**_

"I want a divorce, T."

It was the quiet, mournful tone of Edward's voice that alerted Tanya to the fact he was serious. He'd been acting strangely all week, but this?

The words themselves were nonsensical. Divorce? The idea of not being with Edward didn't compute. Tanya couldn't wrap her head around the concept of being apart from him. They had simply always been.

As it sunk in that Edward was not only serious but irrevocably set on this idea, Tanya's whole world was challenged. If she couldn't fathom the concept of not being with him, no part of her could accept that was what he wanted. Something intrinsic had changed in him, and the investigator in her needed to know what that was.

The little rat tried to keep it about them, but it wasn't. Everything had an impetus, and they'd been fine for seventeen years. Constant. Something had changed.

It was the last thing Tanya thought she'd ever have to deal with. There was someone else. And he didn't want to work on their marriage anymore. He was done.

His suitcase and most of his clothes were gone when she got home that evening. She wanted to believe he was at a conference, but if he had been, she'd have been the one to pack his things. He always forgot the little things: his ties and which shoes he could stand to be in for twelve hours a day.

She sat on their bed and wished she was still at work. All day that day, work had been her refuge. She was reeling at her husband's sudden and complete betrayal, but that was part of what she liked about work. There was always some disaster, minor though most of them turned out, to attend to. During the day, there were any number of people clamoring for attention—her editor-in-chief, the head editors, advertisers. There were deals to be brokered. Her magazine was growing up fast and proud.

So fuck Edward for making her feel like being proud of that made her a horrible wife. Just because he was happy at the pinnacle of mediocrity didn't mean he couldn't be proud of her accomplishments.

Edward had often frustrated her. He was an amazing architect—the kind that could have gone on to design buildings that gained international attention. He could have that kind of notoriety if he worked just a little harder; spent a little time rubbing elbows with the right people. But Edward had no patience for that kind of thing. He was happy with his minor buildings, and the quiet respect of his immediate peers.

"We don't mesh," Edward had said.

Then why the hell had he fallen for Bella?

Tanya had adored Bella. She was passionate, skilled, and driven. She had plans —big plans—and the talent to see them through. She reminded Tanya more than a little of herself. Tanya had gone the route of management—facilitating a platform for good journalism. She thought Bella could be the quintessential reporter; one of the select few journalists whose work was known in the wider public.

Ambitious asshole. Bella had always been so attentive to Tanya's stories and knowledge. The admiration in the girl's eyes had made Tanya feel like a goddess on a pedestal. She chafed now, thinking of it. All an act. She'd done the same thing to Edward, no doubt. Puffed him up, and the fool had fallen for it. Fallen for her, and now he'd become a walking cliché, ending his marriage so he could chase after a woman a decade younger.

Tanya got up and, at eleven o'clock at night, began cleaning. With Bella across the world, Edward would come to his senses. He'd be jarred by the sudden change in his life. They'd come home to each other, sooner or later, almost every day of the last seventeen years. They'd had their moments, but they'd been together since they were children.

Two days later, when she came from work, there was an envelope waiting on her side of their neatly made bed. When she saw the divorce papers, her knees buckled, and it all became too real.

 _ **~Now~**_

Tanya had taken more spontaneous days off in the last few months than she had her entire working life. She'd gone home long enough to catch a few hours of sleep, and then hit the road, heading for her sisters' who lived an hour away. Within two hours, her sisters' husbands and children had been shooed away.

The three of them had gathered in Katrina's living room with maybe too much Margarita mix. Kate and Irina were taking turns toasting the pain-in-the ass Edward habits Tanya was now rid of. The three of them cackled like mad hens.

"I always thought you being married so young was such a waste," Irina said. "Honey, have you seen you? You're hotter than sin."

Tanya quirked an eyebrow and took a shot of whatever Kate put in her hand. "That's disturbingly incestuous, Iri."

"It's objective truth. Come on. You're a jetsetter. You meet gorgeous, foreign men all the time, don't you? Now, you can actually do something about it."

"Right," Tanya said, hiding a blush behind her Margarita glass. She'd had the occasional daydream about this or that stranger she'd met when she was traveling. That was as far as it ever went—an idle daydream. "I wouldn't know how to even start," she muttered, mostly to herself.

Her sisters looked at each other and giggled. They had spent the majority of their twenties playing things simple—no strings attached.

"Tanya, Tanya, Tanya." Kate said, studying her. "I'll tell you what's going to happen. You're going to keep living your amazing life just the way you want it. The only difference is, if some guy—or girl, don't assume it can't happen—strikes your fancy, you do whatever feels right. You got no strings, baby girl. And if something starts to feel really right, well, you take it from there."

Tanya cracked a small smile, somewhat mollified. Kate always knew the right thing to say.

 ** _~Then~_**

The day Tanya realized her marriage was over, her sisters came over. Tanya was already almost all the way to drunk. Kate and Irina got her trashed. It was what she needed—to forget for a while.

But that night, after the haze of alcohol burned off, Tanya was wide awake and aching, her sisters on either side of her. She stared at the ceiling, remembering the feel of his warmth curled at her side. Edward liked to cuddle. Tanya, always restless, preferred her freedom. Tonight, she would have welcomed his arms around her.

Kate rolled over, throwing her arm over Tanya's middle. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Tanya said in a shaky voice. She sighed. "I miss him right now, the fucking prick."

"Asshole. Good riddance to him, I say. What kind of a son of a bitch chases after a silly little girl when he has you, huh?"

Tanya smiled. She knew her sister was only saying what she wanted to hear.

Kate folded her hands under her cheek. "Can I make an observation?"

"I'm surprised you haven't yet."

"I know this sucks, babe. You've been part of a unit since I was a kid. But you know I've never understood it. I can't count how many times we'd be on the phone, and you'd tell me how much you were dreading going home or talking to Edward because you had to back out of something you promised to do. You used to say how relieved you were when Edward was asleep when you got home."

Tanya toyed with the edge of her comforter, silent at that. It had been a weekly thing—the fleeting dread as the clock got later and later when she was at work. That harried feeling she got when Edward would want her to make plans. She would hastily agree, both liking the happy smile on his face—he was so easy to please—and hating his exasperated, disappointed look if she said no right off.

"I know it hurts, but aren't you a little relieved you don't have to deal with that again?" Kate asked, smoothing her hair back

Tanya took a deep breath, though her chest ached. "It's a plus," she admitted.

 **~One Year Later~**

Tanya glanced at her watch and chuckled, wiping a hand over her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

She glanced to the side and had to hide a grimace. Ironic, she thought. For awhile now, she'd dreaded the moment when she'd run into an acquaintance who knew both her and Edward. Now, today of all days, across the country from where she lived, she ran into Bella's boss.

Putting on a smile, Tanya turned to him. "Hello, Eric."

"Hello to you." He waved the bartender down, putting in an order for a mojito, which made Tanya hide a smirk behind her glass. He turned to her when he was done. "So, are you going to let me in on the joke?"

"No joke," she said quietly. She debated for a handful of moments whether or not she wanted to go on but figured it was inevitable. "It just occurred to me that I've been divorced for a year today. Well, technically I guess it's three hours to midnight on the west coast."

Eric nodded slowly. "Ah. Yeah, I know how that goes. It'll be five years for me in a few more weeks." He nodded his thanks to the bartender who set the drink in front of him. "Can I also get two shots of fireball whiskey?"

When the bartender set the shots in front of him, Eric pushed one at her. "Here. It burns less," he said with a wink.

Bemused, Tanya took the shot and raised it. "To our exes," she said.

He grinned wickedly. "May they be miserable without us." He clinked their glasses together.

Some time later, they had ascended to a booth with their second drinks in hand. Eric told her about his ex, Katie.

"Sweet little thing. Very quiet," he said with a rueful smile. "I have her tattoo right here." He brushed his hand along his side, the look on his face inexplicably tender. "Fitting. She used to fit just right tucked up against me. I did love her. I loved being in love. It just made me warm."

"So what happened?" Tanya asked.

He shrugged, signaling the waitress to bring them another round. "Love was a nice place to visit. Like some people talk about taking a weekend up at their cabin when they need somewhere to get away from it all. But it's not an everyday kind of thing. Not for people like us. Look at us. Across the country from home two days before New Year's, and why?"

"I'm here on business," Tanya said.

Eric snorted. "Of course you are, but let's be honest with ourselves. That's the benefit of being divorced, right? We both know neither of us has to be here. We have reporters whose job it is to cover things like this; the historic first visit of King... whatever the hell his name is. If we were still married, what would our choices have been?" He stuck out his thumb, counting on it. "One, we could have stayed home and made sure we were there on time to spend New Year's with our spouses." He looked at her. "Tell me you wouldn't have resented missing this."

Tanya had to smile. "It would have killed me to miss this chance to meet him." It was one of millions of reasons she loved her job. She'd met so many amazing, interesting, and important people.

"Exactly. So either you resent being there or, two, you make up some story about how you have to personally oversee your reporter for reasons; you go and have to deal with the backlash. Pouting for days, and her brother would definitely give me shit the next time I saw him. He always said I had to be some kind of asshole to leave my wife alone on a holiday."

Tanya snorted. "Like New Year's is a holiday. It's an excuse to get drunk and kiss for no particular reason that I can figure." She finished her second drink, reached for the third, and sipped. "Edward used to say that it was nice that the first word you say every year is 'Happy,' and it was also nice to start the year off with a kiss from someone you love."

Eric grunted. "That's a theory I suppose."

"So." Tanya practically inhaled half of her drink. "Who do you have here with you? I mean, I think you're obligated by bar buddy protocol to tell me if I'm going to run into my ex-husband's girlfriend."

"Ah, Bella." The corner of his mouth quirked up as he considered. "She's good enough to cover the story for sure, but she's far too novice." He eyed Tanya carefully. "Which does beg the question."

Her answering smile was sarcastic. "Why did I give her that killer story?"

He leaned over the table. "You can't blame me for being curious. I have bits and pieces of what sounds like a sordid story, but no one's talking." He started ticking off on his fingers again. "You send a total novice on what had to be the assignment of the year for your mag. That was a huge risk to take on an untried reporter. She rose to the challenge and found herself out of a job for her troubles. That part I thought I understood when she showed up at the Christmas party with your husband on her arm."

Tanya winced and downed the rest of her drink.

"Yet, you still sent in a recommendation," Eric said, leaving an obvious opening for her to fill in the blanks.

"You wouldn't have hired her if you thought I let her go because of unprofessionalism," she said, studying the ice in her glass.

"And you wished her well?"

Tanya scoffed. "Fuck no. I wished her every misery I could think of." She shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint you. The tale they told me wasn't sordid. Nothing newsworthy. My husband and I grew apart years ago, but we were both too comfortable to acknowledge that. We wanted different things out of life. The way you put it works well. I was a visitor to our marriage. I liked the warm bed. I liked him and he liked me."

"And Bella?"

Tanya paused, considering her words. "She and Edward were friends. It was innocent. They fell in love accidentally, and Edward told me he wanted a divorce before anything happened." She looked up at Erick. "That's how they tell it, anyway."

He looked sceptical to say the least. "And you believe him?"

"I didn't want to at first, but yeah, I really do believe him."

"Well, how about that."

"Can I ask you a question?" Tanya said after a moment, already knowing she was going to regret asking.

"Sounds dangerous, but go ahead."

"Are they happy? Or has that misery we wished on them kicked in?" She tried to make it sound like a joke. Mostly, she had come to agree with Edward. Their marriage had ended long before their divorce, and they were both better off apart. But that didn't mean the way Edward had moved on so totally didn't chafe. Even a year later, she hadn't gotten over the sting of it.

Eric tilted his head, looking at her, and despite the liquid courage, she felt intensely vulnerable. Being a woman in what was still predominantly a man's world. This weakness, this minute show of foolishness, wasn't something she could afford.

As she searched for the right words to brush the question off, he reached out, brushing his fingertips over her knuckles. Tanya was confused until he let his hand come to rest on her arm, the gentle touch unmistakably intimate. She held her breath as she looked up into his eyes. "I have an idea." His voice had dropped several decibels. His fingertips skimmed up the inside of her arm. "Why don't you concentrate on your happiness instead?"

Tanya's heart skipped a beat. She licked her lips, struck by the dark look in his eyes. She cocked her head, sure for a horrible second that she was somehow misreading things. Afraid to follow the stir of desire that made her cheeks flush. The look, though. The thrill that made her blood sing.

She swallowed hard and flipped her hand on the table, letting his fingers brush over the delightfully sensitive flesh. "What did you have in mind?"

His smile was sexy. She'd never noticed before. Or he'd never looked at her like that. He leaned across the table, beckoning her to do the same. When she did, he said in a low whisper. "This, err, possibility has been my wildest dream forever. Believe me, I have a few ideas."

She laughed—a breathless laugh filled with an anticipation she hadn't remembered until that very moment. "What are we waiting for?"

He stood and offered her his hand.

* * *

 ** **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Thank you to Songster, Packy, Mina, and Barburella.****

 **Thank you for your support.**


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